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Anti-Islam extremists EDL spread their tentacles
Right-wing EDL embarrasses British Jewish leaders - and seeks to make friends with the Tea Party
The image of the English Defence League (EDL) is very ugly and very straightforward: a group of right-wing extremists out to prevent "Islamic supremacism" in Britain, and prepared to take on police and beat up young Asians to get their point across.
But there is increasing concern that a group previously dismissed as thugs and nutcases is growing in influence.
The EDL appears to be spreading its tentacles in two particular directions. First, as part of its effort to demonise British Muslims, it purports to support Israel. To the huge embarrassment of Jewish community leaders in Britain it has even formed a "Jewish division".
Second, the EDL appears to be making connections with right-wing extremists in America, including anti-jihad groups associated with the Tea Party movement (patron saint: Sarah Palin).
Jewish community leaders in Britain are horrified at being associated with the EDL, who 10 days ago started a riot in Leicester where 1,000 supporters indiscriminately attacked local Asians and threw firecrackers and Army-issue grenades at police horses.
The EDL's so-called Jewish division is thought to number only about 100 people, and no one knows how many - if any - of them are actually Jewish. But the fact that it exists at all is doing the Jewish community no favours.
As Mark Gardner, communications director of the Community Security Trust, a charity established to promote the safety of Jewish people in Britain, told the Jewish Chronicle: "The EDL's Jewish branch is a tiny part of a far larger movement, dominated by white males who would previously have made up National Front marches and English football hooligan gangs.
"EDL actions are violent and intimidatory, attacking police and random Asians. Any Jews thinking that they can shape such dangerous forces and find shelter there are utterly deluded."
The uncomfortable truths about the EDL have come to a head in recent days because the group plans to hold a pro-Israel rally next Sunday outside the Israeli Embassy in Kensington, west London - to the dismay of the embassy.
"We wish to disassociate ourselves from next Sunday's event, and from any attempts to link Israel to the EDL," the embassy has said.
As if the rally was not provocative enough, the organisers have invited a controversial right-wing American rabbi to address the EDL supporters.
Rabbi Nachum Shifren, a former California lifeguard known as "the surfing rabbi", says he plans to warn the British that their country is being "lost" as Islamic fundamentalism gains power. "I see England going down and I want to cry out and do everything I can to prevent that, to work with the EDL," he says.
Nick Lowles, editor of the anti-fascist magazine Searchlight, calls EDL's invitation to Rabbi Shifren "a cynical ploy aimed at cultivating hatred between Jews and Muslims".
But there is more to it than that. Shifren is a regular speaker at events organised by the Tea Party, and his invitation has exposed the growing ties between the EDL and the anti-Islamic wing of the Tea Party.
Nottingham University Professor Matthew Goodwin, an expert on extremist groups in Britain, believes that this may be a first.
Extremist right-wingers have traditionally sought to team up with European neo-fascist groups. "Going to the US is particularly interesting because the far-right in Britain has never gone that way before," says Goodwin. "It has always gone toward Europe.
"If it does forge strong links to the Tea Party, it would be important because the Tea Party has significant resources."
The Jewish division of the EDL is led by Roberta Moore, a Brazilian-born right-wing Jewish activist. Moore has revealed that the EDL is also keen to team up with American Pamela Geller, the Islamaphobic blogger involved in the recent Ground Zero mosque protest.
Geller said that she has yet to agree to any joint projects with the EDL, but added: "I share their goal of resisting Islamic supremacism and defending free societies." ·
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England will rip the fruits she has seeded at the time she was an empire drawing lines in the desert erecting artificial nations crowning kings now they are coming back to haunt them and what we see now is just the tip of an iceberg and it is world wide
Talk about hyperbole. Talk about guilt by association. Talk about a cynical way to promote an article. Since the Left is built the cult of personality and a top-down, hierarchical structure it assumes that's how all political movements are run. First of all, there is no central Tea Party group run by Sarah Palin. There are NO centralized Tea Party leaders. Palin has simply spoken at a few rallies held by two of the hundreds of Tea Party groups that constitute millions of people. Whether she does it to promote herself or the movement or both is for you to decide. The movement is radically decentralized. There is no central leader to isolate and destroy. It's completely organic in structure. If you want to understand it read the book, The Starfish and the Spider: The Unstoppable Power of Leaderless Organizations. The book is followed by most Tea Party organizations and is based on the principle that poorly funded groups and companies loosely organized around basic shared ideas can change society, often by outmaneuvering governments or mega-corporations. Secondly, Tea Party groups promote free markets and fight against excessive government spending and taxation. There are NO anti-Muslim Tea Party groups. The EDL may be talking about Pamela Gellar who runs the Atlas Shrugged blog which deals with the Jihad movement. She has spoken at Tea Part rallies, but has no leadership standing in any of the major Tea Party groups.
@Tom - to use Yugoslavia as an example of how multiculturalism doesn't work shows an ignorance of history. That country was forced into being less than a century ago, bringing together people who didn't want to live under one flag and who had for centuries been seperate nations with clearly different cultures and religions. Imagine if Spain, Portugal, Gibraltar and the South of France were all forced to become one nation now - how long do you think that would last? And they're all nominally Christian!
The problem we have with the EDL and their manipulation of people's views is that 'we' always want someone to blame for bad things - and at the moment, in the world political climate, Muslims fit the bill. Yes, more Muslim leaders ahould speak out and do it more forcefully (but some do - and don't get the coverage they deserve), but that is only part of the problem. Government, both national and local, must realise that multiculturalism can work - but only if all cultures are treated equally: don't stop traditional things in case they offend someone, don't put a minority feeling above a majority. That is where groups like the EDL get their ammunition: perceived sidelining in favour of immigrants and bigotted, deliberate misunderstanding and hatred of anything different. Sometimes Muslims don't help their own cause, sadly often the young, but it shouldn't stop the rest of us trying to make a multicultural Britain a thing that works.
@ Veronica Roach. Really? Your willing to listen? Ok then, here's the truth for you. Many Muslims spoke out and continue to speak out against un-Islamic actions like what occurred on Sept. 11th 2001. Every time there is such an act, one of the 3 imams in my masjid speak out against it. There was condemnation from virtually every Sunni mufti, and even the shi'a spoke against the attacks of 911.
The reason, IMO you don't hear about it is for you to investigate and decide for yourself, but don't assume that because you don't hear about it it didn't happen
Saj H....please read what I said.
Most (groups of) people contribute to the "greater good", but on average we consume what we create (in material terms).
Also. I didn't paint you all as a liability...it is clear if you read what I wrote. I've worked with many Muslims and I have to say there is a greater tendency for reaction like yours amongst them (esp. males) than in the wider community. (Please READ that if you are going to reply).
Multiculturalism survived a long time in Yugoslavia. In the end it all blew up and there was terrible bloodshed. Let us hope multiculturalism dies before it kills people. Can you tell me how often multiculturalism has not ended in bloodshed and how many times it has? Let us start in India around the late 1940's.
Tom
I am a muslim in this country. How dare you suggest we go back to our country. We have worked our assess off not only to make a life for ourselves but contribute to the greater good of society.
Muslims make a substantial contribution to the UK economy, talking about billions per year. How dare you suggest we should not have come here and paint us all as a liability.
Multiculturalism is here to stay. Get used it.
The main resaon so many are so disgusted with Muslims is that when 09/11 happened AND the other attacks in Europe - there was a very noticeable SILENCE fom the peaceful Muslims of the world - VERY FEW voices were raised against the radicals - now I personally believe that because of the nature of the religion that peaceful folks in the Mosques are too darned scared to raise their voices - they know very well there are radicals all around them and what can happen to a dissenter, so they all keep quiet !
This is the only explanation that I can see for the situation since I know most people in the world want a peaceful quiet life and would not hurt their neighbours - so why don't they declare against the radicals THEMSELVES - only fear can explain that -
Until THEY stand up for their faith and their GOD ( ours too by the way!! ) nothing will change - stand up guys and be counted !!
Just my personal view. but if there is another explanation I am willing to listen.
Sad. Very sad. I'm referring to the comments as well as the article. Some of you otherwise rational people need to ask some deeper questions then you've been willing to ask in the past. With 1.5 billion Muslims in the world, why is it that there's not 1.5 billion non Muslims killed every day? Why is it that when a non Muslim commits a crime it gets reported and forgotten but when a Muslim or group of Muslims commits a crime, it gets reported ad infenitum. I ask you to think deeply about this issue and don't just accept what R. Murdoch et al would like you to think. Very few stories have only 2 sides.
It seems the EDL is mostly a bunch of thugs. That doesn't mean everything they say is wrong. Whilst I wouldn't condone forced repatriation of Muslims, it might be better if they hadn't come here and also if those who have homes to go to went there. Perhaps the majority of Muslims in the UK are peaceful pleasant people who do no harm. Nonetheless I reckon at least many (if not most) see their first allegiance to Islam and that creates a serious risk of significant social unrest (aside from the issues any reasonable person must have with the Islamic attitude to women). Multiculturalism is dangerous, as now Germany has realised, Note I say multi-culturalism, not multi-racialism. Unfortunately in many cases they go hand in hand.
You're totally right Holly; mea culpa! Of course it's very strange the EDL wish to hold a pro-Israeli rally when they state they support England. Strange because the Israelis were selling arms and training the Argentines whilst the UK prosecuted a war over their invasion of our Sovereign land, the Falklands. The Israelis even went so far as to make three SIGINT converted 707 airframes available to them as well. Pro-Israeli? No thanks!
That Israel should be seen as a natural confrere by these pseudo-fascists is a sad reflection on the gung-ho racism and expansionist, imperialism-by-stealth West Bank policy currently obtaining in that increasingly right-wing country.
Paul: Thought is one thing you really ought not to accuse the EDL of if you want to be taken seriously.
Never mind about it embarrassing a handful of Jews and an alignment with a cranky 'Tea Party Movement' linked with a woman whose political skills are very suspect ........ What about the rest of us Brits who happen to care about the way our nation has been manipulated and ruined by Tony BLiar's open door policy, lies and warring policies and all for his CV and party votes?
It's time we thought for ourselves; unfortunately that is what the EDL is doing for us.