The Multiracial English Defence League Bring Their Message Of National Unity And Opposition To Sharia To Dudley
Around 3,000 people came with the EDL to protest against sharia and Islamic extremism in Bolton on Saturday. Dudley was chosen for the demonstration due to the proposal to build a huge mosque that will dominate the town’s skyline. The Channel 4 documentary ‘Under Cover Mosque’ showed some of what can take place in mosques. The authorities appeared to try to cover up the findings of the Channel 4 documentary by instigating a witch hunt against the documentary makers. It must be remembered, as outlined in a very informative book, The Mosque Exposed, by S. Solomon and E. Almaqdisi, that a mosque is not just a place of worship. This position is further illustrated by the remarks of the Turkish Prime Minister:
“The mosques are our barracks, the domes our helmets, the minarets our bayonets and the faithful our soldiers…” — Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
As the coaches were approaching Dudley, many local people lined the streets and cheered the EDL. It was more like a Roman triumph or a Royal visit than the arrival of political activists. People lined the streets and cheered, they came to their house windows and front doorsteps to show their support, and cars sounded their horns in fanfare. It would appear that the people of this small Midlands town, like the people of so many towns and cities across the United Kingdom, feel completely abandoned and let down by local and national politicians who ignore their views and concerns and treat them with contempt. The people of Dudley, and Britain as a whole, are desperate for real change and many see the EDL as agents of that change, change that politicians seem incapable of initiating.
The coaches stopped on a nearby dual carriageway, and activists were assembled ready for their escort by the police down the road to the site of the demonstration. It was quite an impressive sight, the EDL were packed quite tight but occupied quite a stretch of the carriageway and held their banners designed to educate the public proudly aloft. The area set aside for the demonstration did feel a bit isolated when compared with other demonstrations in the centres of towns and cities. But the location was carefully chosen to highlight the issues that surround the proposed mosque construction. The proposal to build such a large mosque despite the opposition of the people of Dudley could be regarded as an act of political grandstanding and one-upmanship on the part of elements within the Muslim community. The demonstration itself took place in a car park in the shadow of the imposing site planned for the massive Dudley mega mosque project. The colossal site is visible in the following photograph. I am told that the red building on the hill in the background currently occupies the site of the proposed mosque.
There are some who attribute the EDL protest against the Dudley mega-mosque as a protest against freedom of religion. That is a very ill informed position that demonstrates a mindset based on emotion rather than fact. True freedom of religion does not exist in Islam and under the system of dhimmitude that prevails under Islamic law non-Muslims have to pay a special tax, the jizya, to be worthy of toleration, a toleration that can be withdrawn at a moment’s notice. In many ways, it could be argued, that the construction of a mosque is itself an attack on the very notion of freedom of religion.
There was some trouble, unfortunately, but the EDL organises did all they could to contain it. The stewards showed their bravery by standing up to the minority who were attempting to break the police cordon, and some of them were injured in their valiant attempts to help the police maintain order. There was a report of an EDL steward being seriously assaulted as he desperately tried to help the police maintain order. It would be interesting to see the extent to which other groups go to assist the police. I would bet that the EDL makes much more effort than other groups to work with them to make their difficult job easier.
The incident of some people attacking a metal cordon that has been reported in the press took place during the speeches when genuine EDL activists were listening to the words that were being spoken. While a small minority was creating disorder the speaker with the microphone repeatedly appealed for calm, this caused some in the vicinity of the trouble to move way and back toward the stage and the main body of the EDL supporters pointed at the hard core trouble makers who remained and chanted ‘you’re not EDL!’. It was very clear that genuine EDL supporters were outraged by the actions of the minority that marred an otherwise successful demonstration.
The identity of the culprits remains a mystery. They could have been political infiltrators deployed to undermine the EDL message. They could have been agents provocateurs’ sent in by the state to prevent the issues of concern from coming out into the open. They could even have been real right wing extremists who do not like the moderate and inclusive organisation that is developing under the careful guidance of the EDL leadership. Whoever was responsible got in the way of the EDL message and did the organisation a great disservice. What is clear is that the troublemakers are not people who are supporting the aims, objectives, and mission of the EDL.
In the United Kingdom Islam is promoted rather than discussed with the Government effectively using taxpayers money to aid the process of Islamic Da‘wah. At the same time open discussion of Islam is discouraged using all the might and majesty of the state. There seem to be constant efforts by the state to cover up certain aspects of Islam. Policy making ends up been based on wishful thinking rather than the facts. The veil of secrecy needs to be lifted and an open and honest debate about the role of Islam in society urgently organised. Only by open and free discussion can moderate Muslims be empowered so that they can sideline extremists and bring the much needed reform to the nastier components of the Islamic religion.
“The Project” of the Muslim Brotherhood, is also something that needs to be brought out into the open in our debates about Islam in Europe, and moderate Muslims need to distance themselves from such Islamic imperialism. Provocations such as massive mosque projects in the Western world do nothing to mitigate the fears of those who feel that they are the victims of a new form of colonisation. In an atmosphere where governments and opinion formers try to prevent debate for fear of offending what they see as a significant electoral constituency, fears are only exacerbated. Efforts to allay EDL fears have not been forthcoming and there has been no attempt by the mainstream media to bring all the issues of the debate into the open. The lack of media coverage on the actual issues that EDL raise perhaps illustrates rather well an underlying unwillingness to discuss the subject in its entirety. Therefore, people might perhaps be justified when they fear the worst. After all, if these concerns could be answered then the authorities would be likely to be refuting them from the rooftops.
In situations like the demonstration in Dudley, the Police are always in a very difficult position. They have to grapple with their consciences when they receive diktats from their political masters who want to silence debate on the issue of Islam. The last word in this article must therefore go to police men and women who were on the ground in Dudley on Saturday. They did an excellent job and gave supporters of the English Defence League every possible courtesy. They provided infrastructure to allow EDL supporters to enter the town in complete safety and showed a great deal of consideration. The Police did an excellent job, under sometimes difficult circumstances, and should be congratulated for their work. I am sure the vast bulk of the EDL activists would agree that the event was well policed.