Mosque greets EDL with tea and Biscuits

[itsnotoutthere]

Well done EDL for conducting themselves in a civilized manner.

[Ealdwita]

Well one silver lining is Muslims are not flipping their pancakes over this. Instead like true Brits they remain calm and carry on.

You just can't help yourself, can you?

[freetoroam]

Yes, give them jobs, give them education, and let them live their lives to be healthy.

All the money we spent on war could have been spent on them :/ Sad really. Best of luck to them as they grow older they will grow less edgy and, yes, even have bigger hearts. You know they have heart now as is, so passionate.

Not all EDL supporters are racist or anti religious (islam is not a race, its a religion), just like not all muslims are fanatics. IT WORKS BOTH WAYS!

There are many educated and working people who want to defend this country, but recently I am finding that if you say you are anti radical muslim or you want to demonstrate against them, you are instantly classed as an EDL thug!

Did you not see the video by Tommy Robinson, he even says they know its not all muslims.

I have never supported the EDL, mainly because of the louts which did them no good, but today many of the supporters are not louts. Even on twitter muslims are supporting the video by Tommy Robinson.

A soldier has been murdered, a group of muslims had kidnapped and then stabbed and beat up a prison guard, we have a growing number of radical muslims in this country and all some people seem concerned about is the EDL.

This country needs a party to put England first, I am by no way saying the EDL is that party, unless Tommy can rid the louts, but I have a feeling that who ever tries to defend this country, there will be the lefty brigade trying to stop them and the media too will try to do the same.

The last thing MI5 and MI6 want is a country free of anti English people, they will be out of a very well paid job!

[Clarakore]

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, is also bringing together all sides.

After offering his prayers to the soldier's family, colleagues and comrades, as well as those who had been affected within the community, the archbishop praised the way in which religious groups had reacted.

"I want to recognise the response of churches, mosques and other faith and civil society groups, as well as those of brave individuals who have done so much to bring our communities together at this time," he said.

Woolwich murder: Welby praises response of British Muslim bodies

Love the way our societies are getting along!!! Long time coming.

[Coffey]

Don't get me wrong by the way any extremist who tried to murder innocent people or threatens to harm innocent people, I want them thrown right out the county before they can even blink. I am fully against that sort of behaviour, but it also goes both ways. I want every EDL extremist who is a racist, bigot thrown out the country as well.

The police didn't stop and film the woolwich killers - the public did. The police didn't post that footage online - the public did. No one asked the killers to give interviews to bystanders and give their reasons - the decided that on their own. It's a bizarre case in the way it was played out - hence the public interest. The Saleem murder has been on my local news regularly - since they are looking for witnesses and evidence from that area, it wouldn't make much sense to broadcast it on Norfolk local news (for example) would it, since the chances of a witness to that murder happening to be in Norfolk on the day of broadcast, and hadn't already heard it from the area they came from is pretty remote. You are right the police have said they believe it could be racially motivated, but if you have watched all the interviews they have given you'll see they are being quite specific about what they don't say either, so i'm guessing they have evidence they don't want the killer knowing until he/she is caught.

If the lack of interest (as you see it) bothers you so much, why aren't you starting threads and finding angles to discuss about this? Is it because that due to the lack of available evidence so far there isn't much to discuss yet?

The public did? I would like to ask why someone n the general public would film the Woolwich nut case and cut off the left and right side of the video to make it appear like a cell phone camera. I find this strange, makes me wonder if that was press or a by stander. Anyway I never mentioned. The police videoing it, I'm talking about all the newspapers reporting on it. When all ti has done is cause the worst cases of racism and bigotry I have ever seen in my life. I* have never seen so much hateful and ignorant comments on my facebook. Luckily a select few, acted in the opposite way.

Edited May 28, 2013 by Coffey

[Clarakore]

The public did? I would like to ask why someone n the general public would film the Woolwich nut case and cut off the left and right side of the video to make it appear like a cell phone camera. I find this strange, makes me wonder if that was press or a by stander. Anyway I never mentioned. The police videoing it, I'm talking about all the newspapers reporting on it. When all ti has done is cause the worst cases of racism and bigotry I have ever seen in my life. I* have never seen so much hateful and ignorant comments on my facebook. Luckily a select few, acted in the opposite way.

Great point. No need to compare it at all to anything else. As a standalone product, which it seems to be, a product, it was hyped by the news. The media is what delivered it to all corners of the West and not social media.

[itsnotoutthere]

Not all EDL supporters are racist or anti religious (islam is not a race, its a religion), just like not all muslims are fanatics. IT WORKS BOTH WAYS!

There are many educated and working people who want to defend this country, but recently I am finding that if you say you are anti radical muslim or you want to demonstrate against them, you are instantly classed as an EDL thug!

Did you not see the video by Tommy Robinson, he even says they know its not all muslims.

I have never supported the EDL, mainly because of the louts which did them no good, but today many of the supporters are not louts. Even on twitter muslims are supporting the video by Tommy Robinson.

A soldier has been murdered, a group of muslims had kidnapped and then stabbed and beat up a prison guard, we have a growing number of radical muslims in this country and all some people seem concerned about is the EDL.

This country needs a party to put England first, I am by no way saying the EDL is that party, unless Tommy can rid the louts, but I have a feeling that who ever tries to defend this country, there will be the lefty brigade trying to stop them and the media too will try to do the same.

The last thing MI5 and MI6 want is a country free of anti English people, they will be out of a very well paid job!

Actually I would have said repressive homophobic totalitarian belief system.

Edited May 28, 2013 by itsnotoutthere

[freetoroam]

Actually I would have said repressive homophobic totalitarian belief system.

Wonder if they will have signs around the pitch saying "kick homophobia out of football" during the Qatar games?

[Clarakore]

The Guardian has a promising piece. The EDL is also making other fronts in progress. They accept homosexuals but only if you hate Muslims!!!!

Today's British Sikhs and gay and lesbian people (of what race or ethnicity, it is unclear) who are bona fide members of the EDL should not be seen as anomalies, but rather as part of a larger and longer history of incorporation of "strange bedfellows" into rightwing political projects that claim such participation as a sign of populism rather than extremism. Their presence also demonstrates the incoherence of white supremacy understood as simply about white identification, or heteronormativity for that matter. Far from being disadvantaged members of such rightwing movements, racial minorities and gay and lesbian people are offered a way of reclaiming an otherwise withheld national belonging – to be British is to be anti-Muslim – while maintaining their exceptional minority status.

There certainly needs to be greater investigation into the viral rise of the EDL and its historical and contemporary links to other rightwing extremist and white supremacist activities. (Recall, on a more poetic register, the homosexual love affair between Johnny – Daniel Day-Lewis – a white working-class skinhead aligned with fascist politics, and Omar, played by Gordon Warnecke, a young "****" aspiring to join the ranks of the diasporic nouveau riche in the 1985 film of Hanif Kureishi's My Beautiful Laundrette.) But to suggest that their activities are exceptional – they are certainly easy targets to criticise – is to miss other forms of less visible, more insidious, and yet equally damaging anti-Muslim racism. What groups such as the EDL exploit are the longstanding tensions between groups jockeying for limited recognition within liberal multiculturalism – a weak opportunity at best, given the history of racial formation in Britain.

To be gay and racist is no anomaly

[TSS]

Don't get me wrong by the way any extremist who tried to murder innocent people or threatens to harm innocent people, I want them thrown right out the county before they can even blink. I am fully against that sort of behaviour, but it also goes both ways. I want every EDL extremist who is a racist, bigot thrown out the country as well.

The public did? I would like to ask why someone n the general public would film the Woolwich nut case and cut off the left and right side of the video to make it appear like a cell phone camera. I find this strange, makes me wonder if that was press or a by stander. Anyway I never mentioned. The police videoing it, I'm talking about all the newspapers reporting on it. When all ti has done is cause the worst cases of racism and bigotry I have ever seen in my life. I* have never seen so much hateful and ignorant comments on my facebook. Luckily a select few, acted in the opposite way.

*bolding mine

That's a two way street isn't it though...like the uncalled for comments about a man who paints his door in the St George's flag...because not all people who fly the flag are racist are they, and calling someone a thug because you think they look like a thug (despite knowing nothing about him) is intolerance on the other side isn't it?

The comments i've had come up on my fb wall are the same as what you have come up on yours no doubt (and they make me want to throw up)....and I see the exact same offensive comments (however 'intelligently' they try to appear when voicing them) from the other side. In fact, about the only ones who doesn't seem to put their foot in their mouth regularly over this are the ones who say nothing, because most other people just can't help pointing fingers when these subjects come up.

[Coffey]

*bolding mine

That's a two way street isn't it though...like the uncalled for comments about a man who paints his door in the St George's flag...because not all people who fly the flag are racist are they, and calling someone a thug because you think they look like a thug (despite knowing nothing about him) is intolerance on the other side isn't it?

The comments i've had come up on my fb wall are the same as what you have come up on yours no doubt (and they make me want to throw up)....and I see the exact same offensive comments (however 'intelligently' they try to appear when voicing them) from the other side. In fact, about the only ones who doesn't seem to put their foot in their mouth regularly over this are the ones who say nothing, because most other people just can't help pointing fingers when these subjects come up.

I disagree on the ones saying nothing. A few of my friends have only tried to spread peace with the situation. They have avoided hate all together.

The Guardian has a promising piece. The EDL is also making other fronts in progress. They accept homosexuals but only if you hate Muslims!!!!

To be gay and racist is no anomaly

Hahaha, that's just hilarious.

"to be British is to be anti-Muslim"

Did they actually say this?

Edited May 28, 2013 by Coffey

[Ealdwita]

The Guardian has a promising piece. The EDL is also making other fronts in progress. They accept homosexuals but only if you hate Muslims!!!!

That should bring any intelligent conversation to a juddering halt!

[TSS]

I disagree on the ones saying nothing. A few of my friends have only tried to spread peace with the situation. They have avoided hate all together.

..and in spreading peace, you and them must have found that judging anyone by how they look or what flag they fly is uncalled for just as much as judging someone by their beliefs is isn't it?

[itsnotoutthere]

The Guardian has a promising piece. The EDL is also making other fronts in progress. They accept homosexuals but only if you hate Muslims!!!!

To be gay and racist is no anomaly

Thats a 'comment' piece in the Guardian & can be dismissed as such. (the Guardian commentary is to be taken with a pinch of salt).

[Clarakore]

*sob* only if being called a "thug" is all Muslims had to deal with.

Calling grumpy St. George flagger a "thug" (aka hooligan; club supporter) is no comparison to telling a whole group they don't belong in the country and that they are all terrorists on the dole. Much less all the other horrible things you can find scrawled on an EDL protest banner. Why couldn't he just fly the Union Jack? That is what soldiers use, no? Picking the same symbol appropriated by the EDL is a bright message. Most would recognize it for what it means in this climate. Spinning it another way is fine but should we be surprised at the skeptics who remain?

Edited May 28, 2013 by Leave Britney alone!

[itsnotoutthere]

"The Guardian has a promising piece. The EDL is also making other fronts in progress. They accept homosexuals but only if you hate Muslims!!!!"

And under what circumstances would muslims accept homosexuals?

[TSS]

*sob* only if being called a "thug" is all Muslims had to deal with.

Calling grumpy St. George flagger a "thug" is no comparison to telling a whole group they don't belong in the country and that they are all terrorists on the dole. Much less all the other horrible things you can find scrawled on an EDL flag. Why couldn't he just fly the Union Jack? That is what soldiers use, no? Picking the same symbol appropriated by the EDL is a bright message. Most would recognize it for what it means in this climate. Spinning it another way is fine but don't be surprised at the skeptics who remain.

I had a feeling you'd miss the point - that's becoming quite a bad habit you have got there.

I appreciate the post you have just made though, as it highlights the problem spectacularly - you quite happily display degrees of intolerance, but dress it up by saying that one isn't as bad as another.

You like to keep implying you look at the bigger picture all the time, news flash for you - degrees of intolerance is just another method of prolonging the problem...making unfounded accusations about one person in defence of another is no different then branding a whole group. It's all intolerance, and all small minded thinking

[freetoroam]

*sob* only if being called a "thug" is all Muslims had to deal with.

Calling grumpy St. George flagger a "thug" is no comparison to telling a whole group they don't belong in the country and that they are all terrorists on the dole. Much less all the other horrible things you can find scrawled on an EDL flag.

You are doing exactly what the muslims have been asking people NOT to do, do not tar the all of them with the same brush.

Please do not even go there with the flags when we have seen the fanatical muslims burning it on the streets of England!

I just do not get some of you people, the problem here is not the EDL but some murdering muslims and all you want to do is sl & g off the EDL.

The EDL are not only called thugs, anyone who wants to demonstrate against the anti English and anti western world are instantly called racist! the biggest racists are those who burn our flags and do not want to integrate within our western society.

[Clarakore]

"The Guardian has a promising piece. The EDL is also making other fronts in progress. They accept homosexuals but only if you hate Muslims!!!!"

And under what circumstances would muslims accept homosexuals?

Countries that respect the UN for one.

In modern times, Muslim-majority countries Albania, Guinea-Bissau, and Sierra Leone have signed a UN Declaration supporting LGBT rights in the General Assembly and/or the UNHRC. OIC member-state Mozambique provides LGBT rights protections in law in the form of non-discrimination laws, and discussions on legally recognizing same-sex marriage have been held in the country.

*snip*

While Iran has outlawed homosexuality, Iranian Shi'a thinkers such as Ayatollah Khomeini have allowed for transsexuals to change their sex so that they can enter heterosexual relationships.

*snip*

A 2007 survey of British Muslims showed that 61% believe homosexuality should be illegal, with up to 71% young British Muslims holding this belief.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGBT_in_Islam

This would also mean 39% of British Muslims do not believe it should be illegal. Expect that number to grow in due time.

39% also probably accept homosexuals for who they are and do not expect them to hate anyone to be accepted.

A more important question is how do you feel about it personally?

[Clarakore]

I had a feeling you'd miss the point - that's becoming quite a bad habit you have got there.

I appreciate the post you have just made though, as it highlights the problem spectacularly - you quite happily display degrees of intolerance, but dress it up by saying that one isn't as bad as another.

You like to keep implying you look at the bigger picture all the time, news flash for you - degrees of intolerance is just another method of prolonging the problem...making unfounded accusations about one person in defence of another is no different then branding a whole group. It's all intolerance, and all small minded thinking

Only some find it as intolerance to call someone a "thug" who flies the flag appropriated by a hate group who started off as club supporters. To equate being called a "thug" to what Muslims have to put up with is comical, of course the grande poignant point is not going to be universally received as such.

Most of the comments made toward him here were along the lines of he should not be using a symbol appropriated for extremist purposes.

The EDL are not being persecuted by the intolerant, those choosing to use their symbols are not being oppressed by the intolerant, because they are the intolerant.

Edited May 28, 2013 by Leave Britney alone!

[TSS]

Only some find it as intolerance to call someone a "thug" who flies the flag appropriated by a hate group who started off as club supporters. To equate being called a "thug" to what Muslims have to put up with is comical, of course the grande poignant point is not going to be universally received as such.

Most of the comments made toward him here were along the lines of he should not be using a symbol appropriated for extremist purposes.

The EDL are not being persecuted by the intolerant, those choosing to use their symbols are not being oppressed by the intolerant, because they are the intolerant.

Here we go again - it is not their symbol...it is the English flag! Why do you keep insisting on blurring those lines....is it because your argument (which is nothing more then attempt to justify your contempt for certain people) is so weak that in order to make your intolerances towards that individual seem acceptable you have make the St George's flag the EDL flag?

Edited May 28, 2013 by Sky Scanner

[Clarakore]

Because they also use it as their symbol. That is what they chose. Why ignore the concept of appropriation? Most people recognize it as their symbol. That is why they asked him to take it down.

[TSS]

Because they also use it as their symbol. That is what they chose. Why ignore the concept of appropriation? Most people recognize it as their symbol. That is why they asked him to take it down.

So in accordance with your thinking, a Nations flag should be considered racist based on a few hundred (if they're lucky) EDL supporters? Can you honestly not see how silly and offensive your stance is?

[itsnotoutthere]

Getting back on topic & the aticle in question, one possible overlooked explanation of why things were conducted in civil manner is that in reality the EDL are only protesting against a certain type of muslim, i.e. the type of muslim that sparked this whole episode off by beheading a british citizen. Everytime the EDL plan a march to protest about extreme fundamentalist muslims ( Anjem Choudary & his ilk) fundamentalist muslims & their extreme left wing pals use it as an excuse to cause mayhem & have a pop at a few coppers in the bargin. If you accept that this was an EDL protest & that when confronted in a civil manner they reacted likewise perhaps it would be a pertinent lesson for future reference.

[Clarakore]

More news regarding the tea party:

A York mosque dealt with a potentially volatile situation after reports that it was going to be the focus of a demonstration organised by a far-right street protest movement - by inviting those taking part in the protest in for tea and biscuits.

Around half a dozen people arrived for the protest, promoted online by supporters of the EDL. A St George's flag was nailed to the wooden fence in front of the mosque.

However, after members of the group accepted an invitation into the mosque, tensions were rapidly defused over tea and plates of custard creams, followed by an impromptu game of football.

York Mosque Counters EDL Protest With Tea, Biscuits And Football

Getting back on topic & the aticle in question, one possible overlooked explanation of why things were conducted in civil manner is that in reality the EDL are only protesting against a certain type of muslim, i.e. the type of muslim that sparked this whole episode off by beheading a british citizen. Everytime the EDL plan a march to protest about extreme fundamentalist muslims ( Anjem Choudary & his ilk) fundamentalist muslims & their extreme left wing pals use it as an excuse to cause mayhem & have a pop at a few coppers in the bargin. If you accept that this was an EDL protest & that when confronted in a civil manner they reacted likewise perhaps it would be a pertinent lesson for future reference.

Was Choudry hiding in the York mosque? Why protest there then if your theory is true?

Edited May 28, 2013 by Leave Britney alone!