British OpeningsBy William F. Buckley
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2007/08/british_openings.html
An essay published in a popular American news website that touches on British history and identity. Basically, a disquieting piece concerning the "Muslim problem" in Britain that supposedly threatens our way of life and parallels Napoleon and the Nazis. In short, crudely disguised xenophobia of a rather unpleasant nature, considerably weakened by his citation of Enoch Powell as a source of wisdom. Some thoughts:
Firstly (and facetiously), trying to blow up/destroy London IS part of the British way of life. From Guy Fawkes to the Dutch to the Germans to Northern Irish it is a well established feature of London life and everybody worth their salt has at least tried it.
Secondly, Muslims trying to set up a school to promote extreme (?) values occurs much less than Christians trying to do so and the idea that Islam is intrinsically more violent than Christianity or any other religion (except maybe Buddhism) is absurd. In Buckley's own words: "But it is time for the mother of parliaments to look unruly, unassimilable creeds in the face and say: No more." However, I don't think the world is ready for an purely atheistic state. Then again Buckley does remark that "In the end, the English are not hampered by toplofty commitments to freedom of speech and of conscience" so perhaps it would be ok.
2 comments:
William F. Buckley is an American from New York. Is it possible to be xenophobic on behalf of another country?
I must dispute your suggestion that trying to blow up London is part of the BRITISH way of life when all 3 of your four examples were not British, or had renounced their connections to Britain. You almost seem to suggest that there is some honour or virtue in trying to blow up parts of London. Would you be so cavalier had your ancestors been victims of such attacks?
Is it really absurd to suggest that Islam is intrinsically more violent than Christianity? It depends of course upon which strain of which religion we speak of, but if we are talking about the modern era it does not appear to be a contest. Please find me an example of violence in the name of Christianity which is as extreme as the violence we have suffered from Muslim extremists in recent years. You are going to have to do better than a couple of wackos blowing up abortion-clinics in the 1990s; that simply does not compare to what we are being forced to endure.
Secondly can you qualify what 'extreme values' Christians seek to promote in schools? Are any of the teachings of Jesus extreme?
All the best, Patrick
I don't believe the article says he is being xenophobic on behalf of the UK. I argue his xenophobia, his dislike, perhaps, of things 'un-American', has led him to misrepresent the situation in England.
I'm sure my distant relatives have probably been involved in some sort of blowing up of London. Please forgive my crude attempt to inject an element of satire into the article.
I think there are plenty of justifications in the Bible for violence, 'eye for an eye' etc. especially in the Old Testament. However, I say it is absurd because all religion advocate the suspension of reasoned thinking in favour of faith, which can, potentially, be used to justify any sort of act if it is in keeping with religious doctrine. It is quite a big proviso to talk just about the Modern era. Would the modern era have happened if the influence of religion over our way of life had not been reduced by scientific thought? Would we not still be burning Gallileos at the stake if religion was still as powerful?
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