Is That What We In Britain Really Want?

Last night’s news feed included an article from This Is Kent about an 80-year-old Anglican woman in southern England who caused quite a controversy with a brief essay published in her parish magazine.

Below are excerpts from the news article about the controversy, with certain phrases bolded for later reference:

AN anti-Islamic article aiming to “liven up” a church magazine has sparked outrage after it branded the religion a “threat”.

Muriel Clark’s controversial piece on “Islamisation” in the monthly Hildenborough Keys has been slammed for urging residents to take a stand against Muslims coming into this country.

The 80-year-old divorcee claimed in her column for the St John’s Church publication that young Christian schoolchildren were being brainwashed with Islamic ideology.

Both magazine editor Nick Hawkins — who admitted toning down the original submission because it was “too extreme” — and the Reverend John Chandler this week defended the piece, which was sent out to all homes in Hildenborough.

But residents and the West Kent Muslim Association (WKMA) have called it “unacceptable” and “harmful to the community”.

That’s what the local MSM said. Now let’s take a look at the original essay, which may be found in Keys, the parish magazine of Hildenborough Parish in Kent. An alert reader in Britain sent us a link to a pdf of the January issue of Keys, and the controversial essay may be found on page 16.

For Counterjihad regulars, the sentiments expressed here will seem exactly right, and in fact quite commonplace. Once again, I’ve bolded certain phrases:

Islamisation
by Mrs. Muriel Clark

In view of the worldwide media interest in the fate of Mrs. Ashtiani in Iran, I am concerned about the ever increasing Islamisation of our own country, and think we should take a stand against: —

a)	uncontrolled immigration of Muslims whose birth rate exceeds that of other groups.
b)	allowing Turkey to enter the EU with the inevitable consequence of the increase in our Muslim population.
c)	establishment of non-integrated Islamic communities, including no-go areas to so-called ‘infidels’ in our cities.
d)	imposition of ‘sharia’ laws, taking precedence over our legal and banking systems.
e)	‘halal’ meat and dairy products stealthily introduced into our prisons, schools and shops.
f)	the sometimes intense, and often subtle promotion of Islam in many primary schools in order to influence impressionable young minds.

If we are honest, we know about the oppression of Islamic regimes in Muslim lands, where ‘infidels’ are not tolerated. Is that what we in Britain really want?

Despite the seeming lack of faith in our Christian heritage, even in sections of the Church nowadays, I am convinced that by far the majority do not welcome these undoubted pressures to bring our country into submission to Islam.

The first thing to notice is that, contrary to the hysterical précis in This is Kent, the author never mentioned the words “threat” or “brainwashed” (or any related forms) in her essay.

Mrs. Clark didn’t urge anyone to “take a stand against Muslims” — she said she was concerned. Specifically, she was concerned about:

• The uncontrolled immigration of Muslims
  
• The establishment of non-integrated Islamic communities
  
• The often subtle promotion of Islam in the schools

Those seem reasonable concerns to me — They’re my concerns, too. But, then, I’m an “Islamophobe”.

Needless to say, the local Muslims are upset. According to the MSM article:

WKMA president Nasir Jamil said: “We strongly condemn these views.

“Islamisation is a very sensitive issue. Her views are a bit extremist and it’s a bit out of the blue. It really hurts us.

“How can they publish it, especially to a small community? It creates a bad impression that Muslims are extremists.”

And the Greens, too:

Tonbridge Green Party’s Steve Dawe said he hoped the article — which sits alongside more benign offerings about coffee mornings and whist drives — was a one-off.

He said: “I hope those responsible indicate this was a mistake, and will never occur again.

“If not, then this is clearly a matter for the Equality and Human Rights Commission, who may wish to bring a case on the grounds of incitement to religious hatred.”

Aha! Time for the prosecutors to roll out a Section Four charge!

But the parish is standing by Mrs. Clark:

But the writer, editor and vicar have all stood by the piece.

Mr Hawkins said: “A couple of things were too extreme, so I took them out. But we should be awake to what’s going on.

In Muriel Clark’s words, “[T]he majority do not welcome these undoubted pressures to bring our country into submission to Islam.” I’m certain she’s quite right: if the general public in England had ever been asked, they would not have assented to the Islamization of their country.

But they weren’t asked. Their opinion is of no concern to the Anointed, who have already made their decision. For the good of the Realm, the country must become Islamic.

What the people of Britain want really doesn’t matter.