Mike Freer MP threatened at local mosque

I was rather shocked to read that Mike Freer MP (Finchley and Golders Green) was theatened at a local Mosque where he was holding a constitency surgery. There is a report on the BBC website :-

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-15508697

Whilst I am not a member of the Mike Freer fan club, what happend is deplorable. What must be pointed out before any knee jerk reaction is that Freer was at the website as a guest of the Mosque. It appears that an extremist group entitled "Muslims against the Crusades" organised the action. It is clear that this extremist group does not understand or practice the religion they claim to follow. Mike Freer was a guest of the Mosque authorities and as such, under the laws of Islam should have been treated with respect by anyone who claims to follow the religion. Furthermore it is repeated that one of the protestors called Freer a "Jewish Homosexual Pig". To use such language in a Mosque is totally shocking. Again it displays a horrible lack of understanding of tenants of Islam. The Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him) commanded that all followers of the book (ie Muslims, Christians and Jews) should be treated with respect. To use the term "Jewish" and "Pig" as an insult in a Mosque is to defy the teaching of the greatest Islamic prophet.

As to the other claims, that Freer is personally responsible for the deaths of thousands of Muslims. This is clearly complete nonsense. There are many circumstances in which I would support a dignified protest against Mike Freer, but I would never condone a protest at a place of worship, when Freer was doing his job helping local constituents. Whatever you may or may not think about Mike Freer, he must be allowed to do his job and help local people.  This group of fanatics, who have no respect for Islamic teachings or traditions, have done nothing other than put people off the religion they pretend to support. It is another tenant of Islam that in a foreign country, you should obey the law and act with dignity and respect. You should set a good example to people to show that Muslims are decent people who follow a dignified religion. The vast majority of Muslims in the UK do. People such as this, who bring their faith into disrepute, should be ostracised by their community, until such time as they start acting in accordance with the teachings of their religion and start leading by example.

All Muslims are duty bound by their religion to encourage everyone they meet to convert to Islam. By taking such action in a mosque, these people have made many people think that a mosque is a place to be feared and avoided, not a place of peace and learning. I urge every reasonable and decent Moslem in the UK to explain why taking this action is doing the work of  Satan rather than God, by demonising the mosque in the eyes of the general British public.

It is clear that the Mosque authorities are reasonable, decent people. This is obvious, because they invited Mike Freer. I urge the British public to recognise that this is the case and that the people who threatened Freer are a tiny group of troublemakers. There are enough troubles in the world, without idiots like them carrying on like this.

UKIP have lost the plot

Do you believe it is the job of the government to tell you what you can and can't wear? I most certainly don't. UKIP does. It is their policy to ban the wearing of the Burka and the Niqab in public places. The reason? It might make terrorists harder to identify. They say that they pose a threat to gender equality and they have no basis in Islam. Lets look at all of these arguments. Firstly that they make terrorists harder to identfy. So do Beards, wigs, dyed hair, coloured contact lenses, make up. If I was Osama Bin Laden and I wanted to use a woman to plant a bomb somewhere, I'd get her to beach her hair blond, wear blue contact lenses, a mini skirt, fish net stockings and a skimpy top. Who would get pulled over and searched a woman dressed like this or the one in the burka behind her? I've no idea how terrorists plan attacks, but I'd bet my bottom dollar that if they are seriously planning to smuggle expolsives or weapons, the last thing they'd do is want to draw attention to themselves by looking like Islamists. Then there is the argument that they pose a threat to gender equality. So do fishnet stockings, mini skirts, skimpy tops. If an alluringly dressed, scantily clad woman goes for an interview at a major bank, does she get taken as seriously as a woman in a smart business suit? That threatens her gender equality, but are UKIP clamouring for the banning of such attire? Then there is the argument that the Burka has no basis in Islam. So what? Why should whether something has a basis in Islam have any relevance to whether it should be banned or not? I'd have thought that this was the last reason UKIP of all people would quote for justifying a ban. As to the suggestion that Burkas endanger public safety, are UKIP going to ban football shirts for the same reason. As an example, if a group of blokes wearing Manchester United shirts enters many pubs in Liverpool on a Saturday night, or Celtic fans enter known Rangers pubs, violence is certain to ensue. Should we ban these tops?

UKIP's proposals are the thin end of a very fat wedge. Like many people, I really dislike seeing women in Burkas. I think it is an ugly and repressive look. Having said that I wouldn't want my local Imam telling me how to dress, so what right have I to tell anyone else what they should wear? Tolerance is one of Great Britain's biggest strengths. Any such move to tell people what they wear is a major step towards destroying this tradition.

Has Boris gone Bonkers?

Boris Johnson had this message for the voters of London.

''Whether it's in theatre, comedy, sports, music or politics, Muslims are challenging the traditional stereotypes and showing that they are, and want to be, a part of the mainstream community," he said.

''That's why I urge people, particularly during Ramadan, to find out more about Islam, increase your understanding and learning, even fast for a day with your Muslim neighbour and break your fast at the local mosque. I would be very surprised if you didn't find that you share more in common than you thought.

''Muslims are at the heart of every aspect of society. Their contribution is something that all Londoners benefit from. Muslim police officers, doctors, scientists and teachers are an essential part of the fabric of London.

''Islamic finance is contributing to the economy by changing the way Londoners invest, save, borrow and spend. There are valuable lessons that people of all backgrounds can learn from Islam such as the importance of community spirit, family ties, compassion and helping those less fortunate, all of which lie at the heart of the teachings of Ramadan.''

This was reported in yesterdays Daily Telegraph. Whilst Boris Johnson is right that the vast majority of Muslims in London are fine upstanding citizens and some people could learn a few lessons if they read the Koran, I find it abhorrant that the Mayor of London seeks to promote a single religion in such a way. I'm a Roman Catholic and I passionately believe that community spirit, family ties, compassion and helping those less fortunate are also the cornerstone of my faith. I'm also sure that members of the Church of England, Methodists, Jews, Buddhists, Zoriastrians and all the other faiths feel exactly the same. I'm even sure that committed humanists such as Polly Toynbee and Richard Dawkins, don't feel that they need a lecture on this subject from Boris Johnson.

In my opinion, there is nothing more uplifting than attending the childrens service at my local church for the Christmas service. I love the hymns and the nativity story. Our family go every year and then we adjourn with a group of friends for a meal at one of the local restaurants (sometimes we are joined for the meal by some of our Jewish friends). I would be equally affronted if Boris promoted my faith above the other religions I've listed. It's not the role of the mayor to promote any religion. His job is to make the infrastructure of the City work properly. I'm always extremely suspicious of ANY POLITICIAN making any such public pronouncement of faith. It's a private matter. I feel it is correct for me to declare my faith in my blog, as it gives people some perspective on my views. Sometimes I mention things that this leads me to do, but I would never suggest that my faith has lessons for people of other denominations or faiths. That would be a supreme act of arrogance.

I happen to think that life is a journey. We learn things on the way. I believe that we should learn about other peoples faiths, cultures and ways. I believe we should be sensitive to other peoples beliefs and traditions. I think that if we are unhappy with aspects of our life, maybe we should seek change. If we are unhappy with what our faith does for us, maybe we should explore other faiths. What none of us needs is a lecture from Boris Johnson on the matter.

I've no idea what possessed Boris to make such a statement. I can only conclude that the pressure of the job is getting too much for him and he's losing the plot.