The victory of George Galloway in the recent Bradford West by-election raises some interesting issues which have been widely discussed in the media. More intriguing, perhaps, is the way Muslim bloggers have been responding. Below is an extract from London Muslim's latest in a series of increasingly excited posts about how wonderful Galloway is, and how the Muslim yoof have spoken...
Bradford is the template which perfectly exemplifies how non sectarian we Muslims are by voting for a Non Muslim ahead of a Muslim thus illustrating the need for Political address to address our concerns or face political oblivion.
While Jews in London have sent warnings to Ken Livingstone to change his pro Muslim views it is Bradford Muslims and inshallah we London Muslims that will fire the ultimate warning and send the Israelites into a tailspin. Bradford will be our catalyst and also a warning to you useless buffoons in the Mosques that have treated your own community with arrogance and contempt expecting us to follow your diktats.
The Muslim Youth have spoken, prove to us you will reflect and represent our interests and causes and we will reward you with the authority or is it power you politicians so desire. Increasingly gone are the days when we simply act like sheep and Labour politicians in "safe seats" weigh our votes. Immigration and visas are no longer the line in the sand issue for us as it was for the elder generation.
Demography and time is on our side along with technology as we understand social media, Twitter, and Text messaging which is the future of political campaigning. As our cohesiveness, unity and crucually political literacy improves we will confront our enemies with a weapon that our brothers and sisters are dying for in the Middle East, Democracy and the freedom to vote.
Leaving to one side the gross irony of claiming that a vote for Galloway was "non-sectarian" (by which I suppose LM means Galloway's victory had nothing to do with his shameful and transparent targeting of the Muslim vote) what strikes the casual reader is the disturbingly (if you're not a youthful, urban Muslim that is) strident tone.
It is surely not unreasonable to see in such phrases as "we shall fire the ultimate warning to send the Israelites into a tailspin...demography and time is on our side...we will confront our enemies with a weapon..." a very clear sectarian (to use LM's own terminology) tone.
Democracy is now viewed, quite literally, as a weapon. By "demography and time" it is clear LM is referring to the fact that the Muslim population is growing faster than others by dint of having larger families. His call to London Muslims to elect Ken Livingstone can, no
should, be regarded therefore as the opening salvo in a
sectarian political battle that could threaten the traditional democratic process. Voters are being encouraged to vote not on economic, local or even environmental issues but
purely on the basis of their religion.
For let no-one be in any doubt about the end game. Democracy for LM and other Muslims is a means to an end. It is not an end. As my Muslim convert friend explained to me when I questioned whether freedom of political and religious thought and speech would be allowed in a perfect Muslim state..."Democracy is not an end in Islam"
I found that response chilling then. I find it all the more so now.
