My How Times Change

Did you see Newsnight last night?  Wow...

About 14 minutes in, Jeremy Paxman begins a debate between Douglas Murray (noted British Neoconservative and all-round good egg in the intellectual debate over the Islamisation of European society) one one side, and, on the other side, the extremely PC Bishop of Hulme (who likes using the word Islamophobia a lot) and the world's most dangerous Islamist, Tariq Ramadan. 

Ramadan is so bad that even the French and the Canadians won't give him a visa.  Of course, why get a French or Canadian visa when you can get a professorship at Oxford, eh?

Ramadan talks a good, peaceful game as an urbane modern intellectual, and constantly speaks of modernising Islam.  A few people have stated, however, that Ramadan does not fall into the camp that wants to modernise Islam, but that he wants to Islamise modernity.

I had made some observations about the welcome Ramadan was given by Paxman almost exactly two years ago on Newsnight.  It appears from the debate last night that Paxman has been doing a little bit of research.

This is one of those times where one can honestly see Paxman taking sides.  And he helps Murray to pwn both Hulme and Ramadan.

One of the things you can say about Paxman, despite his working for a problematic organisation like the BBC and perhaps some of his supposed positions, he is intensely patriotic.  For proof, I highly recommend his extremely readable The English.  That patriotism came to the fore last night.  (I would be interested to read his memoirs when he finally does retire to see what he really thinks of the bias of the organisation he works for.)

Anyway, we were happy to watch it.  I think the link I put up is good through Monday.

Comments

[Monty]

Couldn't help noticing Ramadans panicky intervention every time Murray was given a chance to speak. That was anything but composed, Ramadan was strident, aggressive, and desperate.

But there are two significant points arising from the debate:

1. Ramadan stated that sharia shares the same precepts of equality as English Common Law. If so, he already has sharia. What more could he possibly want?

2. If all they want is a voluntary system of arbitration of civil cases, they already have that too. Any two parties can agree to be bound by the judgement of an ombudsman, a toss of a coin, a gentlemans agreement, or any other arbiter they choose. (Such is the Jewish system also). So what is it they want?

The only thing they haven't got is state enforcement of their judgements against those who dissent.

Of course, that is exactly what they do want. Paxo should have homed in on that, so he dropped the ball.

[Monty]

Also the sharia rules for family law are anything but innoccuous.

Widows in sharia law may inherit no more than one eighth of the marital assets, and for many this would mean losing their own home.

Children below the age of majority are not able to give informed consent in any custody proceedings, and must therefore come under the protection of English Common Law.

Muslims making use of sharia courts for criminal cases should be prosecuted for perverting the course of justice.

[James G.]

Great points, Monty.

[Monty]

James, you may have noticed reports in the press today, to the effect that sharia kangaroo courts are already adjudicting serious violent crimes. I think we should wait and see if these tales are borne out, but if so, all the participants should be prosecuted for perverting the course of justice.

And we should be asking why the police and CPS allowed that to happen, because they are bound by the law just as we are. It is the duty of the Crown to prosecute criminal cases.

If justice is not meted out in the courts today, it will be meted out in the streets tomorrow.

[James G.]

Monty,
I think one of the reasons these backstreet sharia courts are happening is that they are popping up in those areas where the system doesn't want to go, for whatever the reason.

Anyway, I've decided I'm taking a bit of a late Lent and giving up blogging or reading and commenting on other blogs until after Easter.

Think I need a clear out.