I place the blame for the growing divide between the British Asian Muslim community and the rest of British society above all on successive British governments who pander to the small minority of extremist elements of the male British Asian Muslim community and engage only with them as though they represent the majority of all Muslims in the UK.
I have intentionally used the word “male” since it is the men who are foremost in promoting extremist views. Successive British governments have pandered to these extremist groups and consequently have tarred the majority of British Muslim Asians with the same brush. The majority of British Asians want to live peacefully and in harmony with their British compatriots. Most British Asian Muslims don’t seek favourable treatment from the British authorities. They want equal rights, not different rights.
Here are two of many examples of how the British authorities have promoted the view that British Muslims seek to dominate and change the traditional values of the British indigenous citizens. In 2003 British authorities banned an advertisement for a Christmas Carol Service for fear it might cause tensions between Muslim and non-Muslim communities. In a survey of British Asian Muslims 75 per cent disagreed with this ban. In 2005 64 per cent of British Asian Muslims surveyed thought it was wrong for another British Local Council to ban all images of pigs in their government offices, on calendars, cards and on toys etc. on the grounds that it would offend Muslim sensibilities. Only 6 per cent of Muslims surveyed named the British Council of Muslims as representing their views. This Council states in its promotional literature that it is “the largest and most diverse representative body for the British Muslim community in the UK.” This may or may not be true but on the basis of the survey they don’t represent 94 per cent of British Muslims, only themselves. And yet the British media and the British government regularly quote its statements as though they represent the views of all British Muslims.
Large Mosques, often much larger than Christian churches, are built in cities like Oxford, my hometown. The indigenous Britons are tolerant of every religious practice but often perceive unnecessarily large mosques as a statement of Muslim power. And who gives planning permission to allow these Mosques to be built? Of course that is the British government. Such actions often offend the majority of people including many British Asian Muslims. British Muslims know this can further isolate them from the society and the country which is their home and give ammunition to those racists who hate anyone of a different colour or religion.
I am not a conspiracy theorist but when there is evidence of my governments taking actions which self-evidently are aimed at widening the gap between the Muslim and non-Muslim British communities one has to consider the possibility that they have a political agenda. What might that agenda be? One possible agenda is to paint all British Muslims as terrorists or extremists or foreign invaders wishing to take over. This would allow successive governments to receive support for wars against Muslim countries who fail to toe the Western line. Another agenda might be to create an atmosphere of fear. Here I quote from The Prince, a treatise written by Niccolo Machiavelli in the 16th Century. When giving advice on whether a government should use fear or love to rule its people he writes “it is much safer to be feared than loved because...love is broken at every opportunity (by the people) for their advantage; but fear preserves you (the government) by a dread of punishment (by Muslims?) which never fails.” I am not suggesting in any way that my own government is fascist but past fascist governments have used this method to effectively control their people. British Muslims are used to create an atmosphere of fear and anxiety by the western media.
A current example of using fear is taking place in the State of Palestine. The Zionists justify their genocidal actions by saying Israels and Jews are in danger of their lives. They weren’t but they are now owing to Netanyahu’s and the IDF’s atrocities. Jews are not Zionists but the fear of Jews and consequent prejudice against them are growing owing to the actions of the extremist Zionist government.
Karim Easterbrook
The author is Former School Principal from Cambridge
k.easterbrook@yahoo.com
Oman Observer is now on the WhatsApp channel. Click here
