Laugh At The Clowns?

[bluemonday]

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/l...icle5908527.ece

 

We should just laugh at these clowns

 

Anjem Choudary is an obnoxious individual with repugnant views that he has aired widely over the past few days since his followers demonstrated against British soldiers who had returned from Iraq. He has been quoted as saying he would like to see the “flag of Allah” fly over Downing Street and “a pure Islamic state with sharia law” established in Britain. All women, Muslim or non-Muslim, would have to wear a burqa; a woman’s evidence would be subordinate to a man’s in court; drunks would be whipped in public; and adulterers would be stoned to death.

 

He has described British troops as “cowards” and a tape recording has emerged of him telling his followers “you have money that can go towards the mujaheddin” – remarks that may have broken anti-terrorist legislation. Augmenting this unpleasant profile, former friends have come forward with photos and stories of his drunken roistering as a law student and he has acknowledged that he and his family live on state benefits.

 

Mr Choudary is also British. He was born and raised in Welling, southeast London. That forlorn suburb offers a lesson on how the rest of society should treat him. In the early 1990s “anti-Nazi” demonstrators flocked to Welling to protest outside the local headquarters of the British National party, where British citizens with views no less repugnant than Mr Choudary’s were building a political base among the local white population. The rule of law was upheld. Violent demonstrators were arrested and the BNP’s political rights were protected; but its headquarters was shut for breaching planning controls.

 

Since then Britain has suffered home-grown Islamic terrorism and has brought in laws to try to prevent its recurrence; but the principle remains the same. Mr Choudary is subject to the law. If he breaks it he should be punished, but if he does not he has every right to spout his absurd views. There have been calls to have him silenced. Our poll today suggests a majority would like to see him arrested on the grounds that he is dangerous.

 

This misses the point. The lesson of Guantanamo Bay and “extraordinary rendition” is that a free society gives ammunition to the enemy if it is provoked into a breach of its own revered principles, which means fighting on the higher moral ground. The best way of ensuring that his views get no more traction is to let him air them so they can be seen for being vacuous. Mr Choudary and his tiny coterie must not be turned into martyrs. Far better that we deploy the weapon for which Britain is famed: humour and ridicule. He is, to use a well-worn phrase, a sick joke and should be treated as one.

[thebees]

Sounds too mental to be about real clowns BM

[La_Dolce_Vita]

I am not sure what is meant by laughing at the clowns? I don't think much of what he says is funny as there lots of fools who get taken in by such ideas and opinions linked to religion.

 

But it is saddening that there are those who think he should be silenced. And exactly how is he dangerous and what aspects of his behaviour are dangerous? It would also in itself not appear to be something you could arrest somebody for.

[jimbms]

I am not sure what is meant by laughing at the clowns? I don't think much of what he says is funny as there lots of fools who get taken in by such ideas and opinions linked to religion.

 

But it is saddening that there are those who think he should be silenced. And exactly how is he dangerous and what aspects of his behaviour are dangerous? It would also in itself not appear to be something you could arrest somebody for.

If you look at what was said it is stated that had he been a member of the BNP or such the demonstrations would have been banned for inciting hatred, which is exactly what he is doing, but because he is a muslim and the bleeding heart liberals don't want to offend him he is allowed to yell abuse at troops and stir the anger of a large proportion of the population. So in my view he should be arrested for inciting racial and religious hatred, just because he is muslim does not mean the law should bend for him. As for classing him as a clown I fully agree his views and accusitions are a joke and an insult to the troops he is abusing.

[La_Dolce_Vita]

I am not sure what is meant by laughing at the clowns? I don't think much of what he says is funny as there lots of fools who get taken in by such ideas and opinions linked to religion.

 

But it is saddening that there are those who think he should be silenced. And exactly how is he dangerous and what aspects of his behaviour are dangerous? It would also in itself not appear to be something you could arrest somebody for.

If you look at what was said it is stated that had he been a member of the BNP or such the demonstrations would have been banned for inciting hatred, which is exactly what he is doing, but because he is a muslim and the bleeding heart liberals don't want to offend him he is allowed to yell abuse at troops and stir the anger of a large proportion of the population. So in my view he should be arrested for inciting racial and religious hatred, just because he is muslim does not mean the law should bend for him. As for classing him as a clown I fully agree his views and accusitions are a joke and an insult to the troops he is abusing.

 

But from reading the article it would seem that the BNP members were arrested for VIOLENT demonstrations and breaching planning controls. Which is quite a different thing to advocating oppressive practices and calling soldiers names. If, however, there is hypocrisy with how the BNP and Muslim preachers are treated then, of course, this should be stopped. Why not? Of course he is being abusive and insulting but that isn't good reason to punish him.

 

I don't think he should be arrested for such things. He is quite entitled to call troops the biggest bunch of cowards ever, to tell the British people how much they think that they should be subjected to backward Sharia Laws, and saying that women should be forced to wear Burqas.

[Declan]

If you look at what was said it is stated that had he been a member of the BNP or such the demonstrations would have been banned for inciting hatred, which is exactly what he is doing, but because he is a muslim and the bleeding heart liberals don't want to offend him he is allowed to yell abuse at troops and stir the anger of a large proportion of the population.

 

It says nothing of the sort.

[cheeky boy]

Can you imagine the outcome of a bunch of westerners holding a demonstratiion in Saudi Arabia against the Taliban ?

 

I can , they would all be shot

[Declan]

Maybe but we're supposed to be better than that.

[La_Dolce_Vita]

Besides, who do you mean? Shot by the establishment or by ordinary citizens? The establishment do not support the Taliban.

[Minxie]

I don't think he should be arrested for such things. He is quite entitled to call troops the biggest bunch of cowards ever, to tell the British people how much they think that they should be subjected to backward Sharia Laws, and saying that women should be forced to wear Burqas.

It's not just women that they have problems with, gay men have worse discrimination against them click and clicky.

[La_Dolce_Vita]

I don't think he should be arrested for such things. He is quite entitled to call troops the biggest bunch of cowards ever, to tell the British people how much they think that they should be subjected to backward Sharia Laws, and saying that women should be forced to wear Burqas.

It's not just women that they have problems with, gay men have worse discrimination against them click and clicky.

 

And the Iranian President claims there is no homosexuality in Iran and says that these boys were involved in rape. Yes, the Iranian government and legal system is nasty and evil.

 

But what did you mean by '...they have problems...'? Do you mean Muslims? I can recognise how much ignorance, disdain, and hatred that is harboured by many Muslims and non-Muslims towards gay people and homosexuality. The wonderful Muslim Council of Britain which complains about ill-treatment in terms of discrimination has often spouted homophobic comments. Peter Tatchell has rightly criticised them on many occasions. But I don't think they answer is to shut these people up because we don't like what they are saying or because they might fill the minds of impressionable people with such stuff.