The enemy within

The unprecedented direct attack on Israel at the weekend at last brings into the open Iran’s implacable hatred for the Jewish State.  Previously, of course, the pariah nation has stated its intention to wipe Israel off the face of the earth, but up to now it has worked to achieve those ends through satellite powers, such as Hamas and Hezbollah.  This open act of aggression marks, therefore, something of a sea change and we would do well to take it seriously.  Indeed, the hatred of fundamentalist Islam towards not just Israel, but to the West in general – and Christians, in particular – is something we should never take lightly.  As perhaps evidenced by the relentless spread of so-called ‘diversity’ here in our own country, through which Islam slowly but inexorably appears to be tightening its grip on society; but which, we have up to now largely ignored.
 
Let us be clear, this is not to criticise or condemn different ethnic groups and/or their beliefs.  But it is a call to preserve our national identity, and the values on which our nation was founded and that up to now have made us strong.  Before it’s too late.
 
Rather than jump to conclusions, however, let’s look for evidence.
 
First, in the press this week there have been widespread reports of a UK-wide campaign to undermine traditional British values and stir up religious hatred, spearheaded by the Islamic Centre for England, which, since 1994, has been led by four men appointed to the group’s leadership by Ayatollah Khamenei, supreme leader of Iran.  This may be an innocent coincidence, of course, but under the direction of these men any supposed criticism of Islam has led to demonstrations and extreme intimidation – as seen in the 2021 protests outside Batley Grammar School, for example, where a teacher who dared show his class a cartoon of the Prophet Muhammed was forced into hiding.

There have been many other such instances, which, taken together, would seem to indicate a carefully orchestrated campaign to silence criticism and, longer term, take over control.   Which, of course, at heart is a variation of the same approach Iran has taken more widely towards Israel – using proxy agents to bully and destroy all opposition.  And it’s interesting that the literal meaning of Islam is ‘submission’, because that would seem to be precisely what these religiously motivated militants are attempting to bring about, by stealth bringing down and forcing into submission all who stand in the way.
 
Second, over Easter, while, as ever, we have seen the Christian message swamped by hot cross buns, chocolate eggs and cute little bunnies, this year there has been an added dimension, because on top of commercial exploitation we have seen superimposed the celebration of Ramadan. ‘Happy Ramadan!’, for instance, greeted shoppers to Oxford Street, while Kings Cross station carried what it called an Islamic message of encouragement on its main departure board – only removed following strong complaint by members of the public.

And at the same time, while there have been increasingly strident calls to drop Christian prayers from Parliament and local council meetings, over the last month we have seen Muslim prayers held in Parliament, and at the Mayor of London’s annual festival in Trafalgar Square.  On both of which occasions, there has been no acknowledgment of Christianity as the established faith of our country.
 
The disturbing truth would then seem to be that, slowly but surely, our country is becoming Islamised, and the long-term aim of this crusade appears to be total domination … which brings us back to the Islamic Centre for England.  Clearly, attacking anyone who dares comment on the teachings and beliefs of Islam in a way that might be vaguely interpreted as criticism is not the protest of a beleaguered and much-maligned minority.  It is planned intimidation, and part of an orchestrated, though covert, attempt to take over.  It is cultural hatred, and Iran’s unprecedented attack on Israel should be a wake-up call.  To preserve our democracy and the values on which our nation is founded, therefore, we need urgently to confront the growing Islamisation of our country, and robustly resist.   
 
Which is why the ruling of the High Court, that the ban on Muslim prayers at the Michaela Community School is lawful, is to be welcomed.  It was put in place, it will be remembered, following an alarming increase in violence, intimidation, and the racial harassment of teachers by Muslim pupils, demanding the right to observe regular Muslim prayer times on school premises.   The school has some 700 pupils in all, of which around half are reportedly Muslim – but, even given those numbers, they must not be allowed to dictate policy, using religion and intimidation as weapons to coerce approval, and the headmistress, Ms Birbalsingh, was demonstrably right on this occasion to impose a ban.   
 
It has been frequently said of late that we are a world on the brink of war.  If that is so – and it feels like it may well be – it becomes even more imperative that we reclaim our identity and stand on the values that once made our nation great.  As it is, if we wait for arrival of the first cousin to the attack that hit Israel, it will be too late.