On the London School of Islamics website, Iftikhar Ahmed posts this open letter to Ruth Kelly. It is, simply, a stream of paranoid delusions. There is not one word about the murder and mayhem unleashed across the world by Islamists. Not a word about the mass murder of Britons in the London tube and bus bombings. No, it is the British government which has created an atmosphere of hatred and fear towards Muslims since 7/7. Indeed, it is Islam that is the solution to the problems of Britain and the world. The native children need citizenship education as well as Islamic education because they have no respect and are reluctant to tolerate those who are differentÂ… Islam isnÂ’t the sickness. It is the cure. It is one of liberty and equality. Secularists and followers of other religions regard Islam with something approaching panic. It is wrong to say that Islam has turned Osama bin Laden into a devil. It is the Secularist Western policies have turned Osama and others against the West. The world needs Islam to address the moral issues. America and Europe are wealthy, but they are morally impoverished. Broken families, drugs, booze, youth gangs, crime, neglect of children and the old, the sheer boredom of shopaholicism, terrorism, the inner-cities slums, materialism itself, are all the marks of a global society in decline. Children need to be taught to distinguish between right and wrong.
Indeed they do. Blowing people up is wrong. Preaching hatred of other peoples and religions is wrong. Waging holy war against the infidel is wrong. But somehow I donÂ’t think that distinction between right and wrong quite fits into this writerÂ’s moral universe. His rambling epistle is indeed demonstrably beyond reason, and illustrates what we are up against.
He also writes this:
It is the mainstream Britain which needs to integrate more with the Muslim way of life, not the other way round.
Hmmn. Now where have I heard that precise jihadi line before? Ah yesÂ… right here.
So reassuring to know that our political leaders are determined to face down this dialogue of the demented by standing up for truth and western values.