Dealing with Sudan

Tiberius

I've been waiting for two days for someone to start a thread on this, so thank you, Stephen. This case highlights the incompatibility of Islam with Western values on a common-sense and personal level, rather than just the political one so thoroughly examined by Melanie Phillips. It exposes the hubris that emanates from so many commentators in this country about Islam in the West. We hear about discussing domestically certain issues "sensitively". If we choose to do this, should we not expect the same sensitivity towards our citizens living in Islamic countries? And if not, why should we be expected or willing to go to so much trouble to do so? We have people in the Labour Party currently relying on ignorance as a defence against culpability in the Abrahams affair. How many of those are apologists for Islam, a faith which (no I won't go on to repeat what Nick Griffin called it) does not allow ignorance as a defence against blasphemy. And if it is blasphemy to create or name an image after the prophet, why are so many Muslim men named after him? But the most enraging aspect of this case has been the absence of any senior British figure to stand up and speak out for Gillian Gibbons. Yes we've heard from Home Office representatives, but that is their job. Where are the voices of figures like Rowan Williams, Prince Charles, and the myriad of feminist and human rights hand-wringers when they are actually needed (rather than when they stick their nose in when no one has rattled their cage?) Boris writes on the subject in the DT, but fails because he says the incident confirms "prejudices" about Islam: try confirms "facts", Mr Mayor-to-be. Islam is a juvenile creed, and it supresses the human spirit as much as anything else. It is a global representation of the Western blight of political correctness. It has to be resisted - forcefully.

Joshua

Can you just imagine if it had been Jews or Christians who had tried this on? The whole world of "feminist and human rights hand-wringers" (ta, Tiberius) would have descended on them from a very great height.

PJD

Because it would be illegal and probably kill quite a few totally innocent people.

BDK

Because for ten years we have had all semblance of national pride sucked out of us. Can you imagine Margaret Thatcher putting up with this nonsense? The SAS would already have been dispatched to free Gillian Gibbons. I too was very disappointed by Boris Johnson's article today. It is all about the religion and the sooner everyone realises that fact, the sooner we can start to fight back because at the moment they are walking all over us.

Genghis Khan

"A Sudanese ministry building"? why just one?

Alcibiades

Because Gordon Brown is PM, not Margaret Thatcher

David

This is an outrage, I can't believe how intolerant and barbaric the Muslim religion and society is. It's no surprise that there is so much hatred in the west towards this religion. After this, many people in the US, the UK and the rest of the free world will now be assured that this is a religion and society of hate, fear and support of terrorism and should be wiped out. Let her out before it's too late!

Joshua

"It's no surprise that there is so much hatred in the west towards this religion." -- I don't believe there is much hatred in the West towards Islam. Especially in Europe, the hatred has been directed away from Muslims and towards Jews and the Jewish state. Jews have been the fall guys for the ills of the gentile world for many centuries and this time is no different.

Max Kaye

I can't tell you how amusing this is. I'm glad the Teddt wasn't Winnie the Pooh otherwise the children may have applied the sacred moniker to his best buddy Piglet.

Not sure about missiles... I'd suggest sending in gunboats, but our underfunded and very unmartial Royal Navy would probably get kidnapped and humiliated by being forced to appear on Al-Jaz wear polyester suits.

I recommend severing relations and all aid and letting them stew in their juices.

mark

erm - to the "send in the gunboats school" - The priority surely in the short term is to ensure we get our fellow subject out of Sudan and back home. THEN we can take all sorts of steps we decide to take. Anything overt now will only escalate the problem and potentially threaten her more than she already is (witness the mobs on the streets demanding the death penalty). I think the relative silence from our "leaders" may be explained by the above analysis (I hope so) All that said - I am firmly of the belief we need to make a more rbust stand and present our secular, demeocratic ideals in opposition to those that support the Caliphate. And we should be prepared to back up our views with force if needs be.

Scipio

Funny that it is of all the nations in the world, Israel whom British academics want to boycott and isolate (not Sudan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Iran, Cuba, North Korea, Pakistan, China, Bangladesh, Venezuela).

Neil

The reason this will not happen Stephen, is that the West is in full scale retreat from Islam. Our politicians would rather bite their own heads off than take decisive action.

Fran

Joshua I think you're mistaken to think that 'Especially in Europe, the hatred has been directed away from Muslims and towards Jews and the Jewish state.' Read the threads on all sorts of UK websites and you'll find plenty of contempt for Islam which often spills over into hatred of Muslims. This bears out my own experience of vox populi in the region where I work. Trust me, children and young people don't dissemble! Hatred of Israel is rife amongst the people who dominate the press and media - which is why it has such a disproportionately loud voice. But you'll also find plenty of support from commenters who see through the lies spewed out by much of the media. I'm saddened to read your frequent denunciations of gentiles on the several blogs where you contribute so insightfully. We haven't all 'imbibed Jew hatred with our mother's milk' (as you once memorable wrote) and some of us small people work hard to combat the virulent campaign of disinformation about Israel in the media which you properly resent.

Rob

Because it would be an act borne purely out of anger and would just get her and other innocents killed?

Edward Morgan

A previous comment referenced "gun boat diplomacy". This leads to an interesting historical comparison. In August 2006 the UN authorised a peace keeping force to go to the Sudan. It still is not due to take over from the AU force until the end of 2007 and will be under strength and under equipped even then. In August 1884 the British government authorised a relief expedition to rescue General Gordon in Khartoum. Within 5 months a British force of almost 6000 men was approaching Khartoum travelling by train, boat and camel. I am not impressed by the progress made in the last 100 years.

Jerry

"Because it would be an act borne purely out of anger and would just get her and other innocents killed?" And your point is what, again? We are AT WAR with these 7th century savages! Strike to make a point...NOW!

Jon

The dichotomy between 'Islam' and the West is a clash between modernity and medieval values. The West went through religious/social values/ changes hundreds of years ago. Islam still has to fight that war out within ITSELF. Leave the rest of us alone!

Mike

It's the oldest social game I can think of. If you are at a dinner party, let's say, and the conversatiion is not to your liking, or you sense the conversation isn't as stimulating as one would prefer, what you do is 'throw a bomb on the table' by coming up with a statement similar to the one in Melanie's blog. You know damn well that this is going to 'explode' because it is so controversial. Then what you do is sit back and watch what happens. I can only assume that this was a day when Melanie hadn't much to say or wished to be entertained by mere mortals like this writer. As I write Gillian is now safely back home with her family in Liverpool, whose release was negotiated by two British Muslims on the back of diplomatic pressure and widespread public opinion. By the way, not EVERY Sudanese was calling for her execution so the reality of Melanie's bomb would undoubtedly have killed many, many innocent men, women and children, ('collateral damge' as the US Armed Forces call it. Of no consequence for those who advocate similar action against Tehran or who would like to see the United Nations building in New York obliterated with everyone in it. Why stop at some Ministry building in Khartoum? I've had enough of this dinner-party, I'm off home, but gosh the food and wine were good!