Beggars belief...

Hot on the heels of Cranmer's post, "Tis Pity She's a Whore - the Virgin Mary", I watched a video report in the Independent which gives details of  "a controversial book to be published on Good Friday [which] has caused outrage for its portrayal of Jesus as a bisexual drug addict." Christians are expected to tolerate such religious 'stone-throwing', turning the other cheek rather than going on the rampage killing innocent people in fits of righteous indignation with no regard for the rights of individuals in their own land.

On Monday (11 April) the BBC's 'Panorama' broadcast "Living with the Ayatollah" highlighted human rights abuses in Iran. Ironically Iran's Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance Mohammad Hosseini has beenurging European countries to avoid encouraging 'Islamophobia'. The Guardian has taken up a similarcry with "Islamophobia on the rise as austerity bites".

What utter tosh. The maxim 'attack is the best method of defence' cannot hide the fact that claims of "Islamophobiadanquot; are used simply as devices to deflect well earned concern and criticism of double standards.

Postscript

The University of Exeter's European Muslim Research Centre was forced to issue an apology for serious errors of fact in their academic report Islamophobia and Anti-Muslim Hate Crime: UK Case Studies referred to here which "may lead a reader to misconstrue the conduct, actions and the intentions of Councillors". Conservative MP Robert Halfon  has demanded an explanation from Exeter University over a donation from the Middle East broadcaster Al-Jazeera. I know universities are short of funds but whatnext?

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F*** off!

The unspeakable acronym of the moment must be that of Fédération Internationale de Football Association . They will be distinctly OFF after the brass neck of awarding the 2018 World Cup to Russia. Don't these people know who we are? Thoughts of Knighthoods have been dashed at a stroke.

Thankfully the bidding circus is over and, mercifully, gesticulating George should be able to read (present) the Six o'clock News' football item without the usual inane grin he is afflicted with when he covers the sports section.

One reward we should be proud of is that our integrity as demonstrated by Panorama and lack of corruption does us far more credit. OK there will be some overpaid footballers crying in their Champagne but I can bear it. It's time for a G&T.

Postscript

So the recriminations begin. Time for a post mortem on the bid. Gesticulating George looked suitably subdued reading (presenting) the Six o'clock News and reserved his grinning piece for those in Scotland enduring the coldest temperatures (-21C) in Great Britain.

There was a suggestion that England had left things a little late with their bid, not cosying up to those who mattered - well it is England after all - and there was surprise after 'we' had the 'best technical bid'. Nevertheless victory went to Russia despite them having a lot of work to due on infrastructure, etc, etc, etc. A bit like our Olympic bid then!

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St George's Day

Photo: Belfast Telegraph

Today is St George's day. Reported in the Belfast Telegraph is a call by multi-faith campaigners for St George to be a symbol of unity. "The hijab, or headscarf worn by Muslim women, should be as welcome as "bangers and mash" in England, religious groups and campaigners have said in a St George's Day appeal for unity." The declaration said the saint needed to take his "rightful place" as a national symbol of inclusivity "rather than a symbol of hatred! As patron saint for England, St George is there for everyone living in England," they said.

I am all for unity but not as the result of subjugation. Panorama last night investigated the 'Secrets of Britain's Sharia Councils' highlighting the disgraceful way Muslim women are treated by self-appointed judges outside the law. As hellish as that must be for the women involved, at least the protection of the law is available for them. Not so in Egypt. In an article "An Islamist Declaration of War Against Christianity" an account is given of the attack on St. Mark's Cathedral. Named after the author of the Gospel of the same name who brought Christianity to Egypt "some 600 years before Amr bin al-As brought Islam by the sword" is not simply “just another” Coptic church to be attacked and/or set aflame by a Muslim mob. Instead, it is considered "the most sacred building for millions of Christians around the world—above and beyond the many millions of Copts in and out of Egypt. As the only apostolic see in the entire continent of Africa, its significance and evangelizing mission extends to the whole continent, including nations such as Sudan, Ethiopia, Libya, Tunisia, Morocco, and Algeria, to name just a few. As an apostolic see—the actual seat of an apostle of Christ—the cathedral further possesses historical significance for Christianity in general." There has been no outcry from the media similar to the hysteria surrounding any inferred even trivial act against Islam.

Put another way, "this jihadi attack on St. Mark Cathedral is no different for Copts than a jihadi attack on the Vatican would be for Catholics. Or, to maintain the analogy, but from the other side, it would be no different than a “crusader” attack on the Grand Mosque of Mecca for Muslims. While one can only imagine how the world’s Muslims would react to a “Christian/Western” assault on their most sacred of shrines, “post-Christian” Western leaders, as usual, stand idly by (not unlike Egyptian state security, which stood idly by as the Muslim mob opened fire on the cathedral)."

In Britain the UK head of an international Catholic charity has attacked a government report on human rights violations, saying it "glosses over" the growing problem of persecution against Christians (here). The great chasm between Christianity and Islam cannot be ignored. St George defended Christianity. So must we. Happy St George's Day!

Postscript

See "The Qu’ran is facing a blistering attack from contemporary scholarship" on the Christian Medical Comment blog here.

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