LETTER- Bishop Nazir Ali's comments on Islamic Extremism

Published in the Asian News Letters Section

By Waseem Aslam- Regarding the recent comments made by Nazir Ali stating that the vacuum left by the Christian faith in British society is being filled by Islamic extremists.



I would agree that British society is godless and that religious faith plays no role in the day to day function of the society as a whole. This void has been filled by gods of the 21st Century such as Celebrity, Sports stars and designer gear. The fact that the neo-gods cause debauchery and social meltdown as is being witnessed speaks volumes for the failure of British values.

Nazir Ali naively suggests that the ideals of freedom, respect and tolerance exist in British society and that the extremism of Islam is a threat to these values. For any Muslim who have lived through the past few years in Britain it is clear that freedom is selective; the 28 day detention without charge is testament to this.

As for tolerance and respect, comments by Jack Straw regarding the Niqab, the publishing of Danish cartoons and even the comments by Nazir Ali clearly show that there is no respect for Islam and no desire to tolerate Islamic values.

The constant attack on Islam such as the one by Nazir Ali are all attempts to bully the Muslim community into conforming with the creation of a British Islam devoid of ideas that Western Europe is unable to stomach , such as he Niqab. As a community we should debate the failings of this godless society as described by Bishop Nazir Ali and show clearly how Islam can not only solve the problems of the Muslims community but act as an example to the wider community in the UK.

Waseem