This platform examines events from a Right Wing perspective. It maintains that both Right wing and Left wing are parliamentary terms. As such they apply only to people who respect each others worldview, debate their differences, and find common agreement in order to live together in harmony.
This platform maintains that the Christian worldview and values are vital to the good working of a democratic society. Christianity holds that
- all human beings – i.e. ALL – are made in God’s image and are entitled therefore to respect and mutual consideration, and also that
- we are fallen from the state of grace before God and that we are all – again ALL – subject to Sinful impulses which militate against our better, God given nature.
When this writer sees that fundamental perspective displaced by the questionable perspectives of Atheism, I become concerned – for all our sakes.
I refer to certain godless, humanistic perspectives. Such perspectives displace the concept that we are all sinners yet made in God’s image with the notion that there are two classes of human beings, one inherently good and the other inherently bad. It is a manifestly false perspective yet has persistent appeal.
To the racist it means that other races are inferior. Demonstrably wrong – there are good and bad everywhere. To the Marxist it means that there are wicked exploiters called capitalists – in current prejudice they are all white, middle class, male and Christian. The exploited masses, however, are inherently good and beyond question, especially those whose identity places them in the category of an abused minority like blacks, or Jews, or women – the latter in fact being the majority 51% of the population.
Whenever I witness such false perspectives at work, I am disturbed. I am particularly disturbed when I see such perspectives adopted by a government agency. I speak of the Counter Extremism Commission led by Sara Khan.
Sara Khan’s annual report of October 2019 gave particular cause for concern. Even after more than 2 years, she has yet to define extremism, and her attempts to define “Right wing” accord with the prejudice of Socialist minded academics, not reality.
The danger of politically partisan definitions was highlighted by the Labour party recently when it suspended Trevor Phillips from its membership for racism and islamophobia. Mr Phillips is black and conscious of his Muslim background, and is well known for his role in campaigns about racism and Islamophobia. In fact, he is a former chairman of the Equality and Human Rights Commission.
The dangers of politically inspired definitions are clear.
Traditionally, such dangers have been avoided because of the traditional English culture of tolerance – a willingness to put up with offence rather than risk censorship and exclusion. Our traditional culture reflected the Christian ethic of “love your enemy”. British democracy tolerated blatant insult in the public domain sooner than constrain freedom of speech in matters of political debate.
We saw no need for Commissions – or Commissars – to police our politics.
But all that has changed. Our national worldview has been transformed by the removal of Christianity as our cultural, philosophical reference point. Instead we now find the assumptions of Materialism and Atheism dominating our institutions and intelligentsia.
Which brings me to Sara Khan’s article in London’s Evening Standard on 3rd February 2020, the day after the Streatham knife attack by a man convinced of a particularly vicious and extreme interpretation of the Islamic faith.
This Sara Khan condemned. But that proved to be the lead up to what she really wanted to say:
Not enough is being done to counter hateful extremist narratives, such as the Great Replacement Theory — a far-Right conspiracy theory which states that Europe’s white population is being progressively replaced with non-European peoples, specifically non-white Muslim populations …
This is typical of the perspective of Sara Khan’s counter extremism commission, and it indicates the quality of its intellectual analysis.
“Far Right” is not defined in her article, and the extremist narrative that all things “Right Wing” are dangerous is reinforced. But let’s examine her example of “extremist narratives” – the replacement of Europe’s white population.
Firstly, it is statistically demonstrable that there is a demographic shift occurring in the ethnic composition of Europe. The key question becomes “Is this significant ?”
Secondly, the Muslim and demonstrably dictatorial President Erdogan of Turkey not only believes in this “theory”, but actively promotes its implementation: for example, in Central Anatolia on March 17th 2017 – see Link below.
Thirdly, Sara Khan knows full well that militant Muslims have a 3 pronged strategy to achieve worldwide Islamisation via Word, Wealth and Weapons: peaceful propaganda and persuasion; economic influence; outright violence in the name of their Religion. Why will the British government not grant political asylum to Asia Bibi, hounded out of Pakistan by death threats from militant Muslims ?
Fourthly, The truth …. is that jihadism can be traced to specific tenets of authoritative Islam and its historic practice. This includes those portions of Shariah that promote Islamic supremacy and encourage enmity towards non-Muslims. There is a desperate need for honest discussion of these matters….. In reality, it is the spread of Islamist extremism and terror that primarily contributes to the rise of Islamophobia throughout the non-Muslim world. These words were written by a leading Indonesian Muslim in an address to the 2019 Conservative party conference and read out by Trevor Phillips, subsequently suspended by the Labour party …
In view of the above, many Europeans with a traditional European perspective are worried and frightened. In this context it is hardly surprising that some people feel their very identity is threatened, precipitating a willingness to consider extreme action.
Whether Europe does in fact at some future point cease to be majority white and loses entirely its previously Christian identity is a matter of interpretation – and of perfectly legitimate interest given the above.
Whether a Muslim majority Europe is seen as a threat, or not, is also a matter of interpretation and of personal feelings regarding identity – and all human beings are entitled to ask that their identity be respected.
But in the internationalist, anti-national perspective of many “progressive” political campaigners today, the eradication of Christian white Europe is good. Their viewpoint, however, too often goes a step further and asserts that any other viewpoint is immoral. Thus they self justify smears and censorship.
Which is what Sara Khan is reflecting. Whites are not allowed to see or feel that their identity is threatened – even though there is evidence to suggest that could be the case.
It is not for democratic governments to institutionalise as impartial, reliable and desirable a commission to police political opinion.
It is even more disturbing for a democratic government to endorse a commission whose prevailing perspective and ethos is manifestly partial to a particular political worldview.
What our country needs is a restoration of the Christian doctrine “love your enemy” in its national culture and education; it does not need a political commissar promoting a politically partial worldview at considerable expense to the British taxpayer.
If government insists on spending public funds to combat such issues, the far more effective, practical and appropriate action in a democracy is to foster a network of initiatives at local level to bring communities together.
Community harmony is not, however, what Riz Ahmed appears to want in his recent film, The Long Goodbye [link below]. The film depicts White armed militia murdering bound Asian men on a British street while the police do nothing. It is total fiction with no factual precedent. It promotes ‘a narrative’ that Asian minorities are threatened with genocide !
Does Sara Khan think Riz Ahmed is guilty of “hateful extremism” ?
If so, Why ?
If not, Why not ?
Ray Catlin
An extremely important analysis regarding the subject of Islamophobia is made in a Policy Exchange report about the suspension from membership of Trevor Phillips by the Labour Party to be found at
https://policyexchange.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/The-Trial-the-strange-case-of-Trevor-Phillips.pdf
The comment by a leading Indonesian Muslim quoted above is to be found in his address reproduced in full from page 39 of the download document in the link above.
The Erdogan report is at https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/three-children-not-enough-have-five-erdogan-to-turks-in-eu-110942
Conservatism Institute 