And today Mr Miliband has vowed to legislate to make it an 'aggravated crime' effectively making laws that already make it a 'hate crime' even tougher if he is elected on May7th. More here.
This is of course a highly complicated and controversial, not to say 'dangerous' issue but Mr Miliband doesn't seem to understand this complexity. Actually I'm sure he does - he must - but detail is not really an issue when one is trying - nay desperate as they all are - to garner votes from one sector of our society.
Not mentioned in any of this but critical to the discussion must be the term 'justified' - or 'unjustified'. The key to this must be whether the 'phobia' at issue is either justified or unjustified. If it is justified, I fail to see how anyone can be criminalised for holding the particular view.
If the law was written to make illegal the 'unjustified' prejudice or hatred towards Islam I would wholeheartedly agree with this initiative. I abhor unjustified, tribal or racist prejudice of all kinds, but that is not what we're dealing with here is it? There are two elephants in this somewhat crowded room here. Firstly the term 'fear' and secondly the word 'justified'.
This proposed legislation seems to be suggesting that people should be prosecuted and locked up (for more than seven years) if they fear the religion of Islam. I think that is a ridiculous stance to take.
Given some of the recent crimes that have been committed (Lee Rigby, Charlie Hebdo, Canada etc) in the name of Radical Islam, I'd suggest that one would be hard-pressed to find many people who don't harbour some degree of fear of Islam. Radical Islam at least. And this might well be an area for further discussion - 'Radical' as opposed to 'ordinary' or 'moderate' Islam; but the fact is that these and many other hideous crimes have been committed by Muslims in the name of Islam. That's simply a fact.
So under Mr Miliband's new legislation if I'm asked if I'm prejudiced towards - or fearful of - Radical Muslims who cut people's heads off, I might have to say 'yes I am' and then toddle off to jail?
If I'm asked if I 'hate' the people who behead non-Muslims in the Middle East, who push Christians off boats in the Med purely because they are Christians, I would probably (while not being entirely comfortable with the term 'hate') have to nod my assent. It's a fair cop. Off I jolly well go. What's this bucket in the corner for may I ask Mr gaoler?
In this blog the term 'justified' is mine. It is not mentioned in Ed's proposed legislation but it sure as fuck should be. You can't prosecute (fairly at least) someone whose fear is entirely justified. If Islamophobia arises because of the behaviour of Islam - the actual behaviour, not some perceived, unfounded, unjustified prejudice - then making it an 'aggravated crime' punishable as Ed sets out, in an even more severe way than 'normal' hate crime, then I'd have to say that we are in deep shit.
Because what it would be doing is playing entirely into the hands of the people who are using Islam as an excuse to undermine our way of life, to harm us and to take-over our modern secular democracy. It is, in effect, enforcing our tolerance - on pain of imprisonment - towards a group of people (Radical Islamists and Radical Muslims) who have shown absolutely zero levels of tolerance towards us and our way of life.
I acknowledge that these practices are not perpetrated by all Muslims, but we are not talking about a mere handful of lone wolves, we're talking about a very widespread problem in our society. And we see very little evidence of 'moderate' Muslims standing up against these illegal practices.
It is clear - and widely acknowledged in our media and amongst the establishment (police, politicians, the judiciary etc) - that our reluctance to be accused of being Islamophobic has led to the point where Muslim child sexual grooming gangs have been allowed to carry on their hideous behaviour country-wide, unchecked for decades. That the illegal practice of female genital mutilation is rife among this group and not being prosecuted. That illegal forced marriages of 11 year old girls and polygamy is widespread in the UK. That electoral fraud has been ignored.
And all because we have been reluctant to stand up to these horrendous and illegal practices for fear of being called 'racist' or 'Islamophobic'.
And now Mr Miliband wants to make this situation even worse?
For the sake of a few votes?
Making promises that will never be delivered in order to bribe the electorate is one thing. But creating a legal situation that will further undermine our society - 'will undermine' because we absolutely know this to be true - is another thing entirely.
It is batshit crazy and it is against the interests of the law-abiding majority in our society.
Thanks for reading.
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