MP threatened.

[Amy90]

The very last sentence of this report is astounding. There were no arrests yet the MP was called a 'Jewish homosexual pig' by one of the muslims.

Now, imagine if things had been the other way around. It seems you can only be racist if you are white and British.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/...gland-london-15508697

[NOX]

I think that is exactly the problem, people will at the moment always question a muslim person's motives and thoughts, which is an intolerable situaiton.
I have two broad experiences regarding Islam, the first is that my (Jewish) wife was walking along the road by finsbury Park Mosque and the police were there for some reason and were watching as people walked by. they stopped my wife and daughter as my wife had a small unobtrusive star of david around her neck and asked her to go another way as there were people outiside the mosque. My wife declined and said no they had let everyone else through so they would jolly well let her through. They said they thought her presence ( walking past on the way elsewhere) might ' imflame the situaiton'. she saild ' Rollax I don't care i am entitled to walk anywhere I please, just as these guys are entitled to walk past any synangogue. This argument with the police went on for a few moments and they finally let her through, she had unpleasant things yelled at her etc etc etc- but all pretty much a non event.
The second is that our closest friends are Muslim, I was born a Catholic, my wife was born a Jew and they are both born Muslims, yet we have maintained our respectful relationship for many many years and not many people are as dear to me as they are, as they are truly wonderful, honest decent people.
Moral of the story is I think, all of us jujst need to keep our heads, not panic that the sky is falling or we'll end up destroying what is essentially the tolerant and beautiful community that we have in Britain.

[jno]

em, do you really think this sort of criticism of an MP would have happened before Britain invaded Iraq?

Did it do so? Can you find any evidence of it happening? I can't find any, though it's not impossible that it happened.

[bazwillrun]

"Moral of the story is I think, all of us jujst need to keep our heads, not panic that the sky is falling or we'll end up destroying what is essentially the tolerant and beautiful community that we have in Britain. "

no, the moral is that there is one rule for them (ie: they basically get what they want in most cases) and there is one rule for the rest of us, dont do anything in case it offends them in our country

[boxtops]

NOX, your story - respect, I believe that we should all tolerate each other's peaceful beliefs - I have friends and family of many different faiths and it makes no difference to our relationships.

But to return to the OP - this isn't racist, it's discrimination on the grounds of religion and sex. Not racist.

[jno]

maybe you can't do anything in your country, baz, but you can always invade one of theirs and kill people, so that balances out.

[Brenden]

The destruction of the Two towers and the loss of nearly 3000 innocent people comes to mind jno, this happened well before Iraq

[ichkeria]

Sounds like an organised campaign by a pressure group, resulting in all of 12 people "forcing thier way" inside.
Sadly religious intolerance is practised by fanatics of whatever creed: be it that, the Harryville Chapel protests, the Orange Order's targeting of unionist MPs attending a RC funeral, etc, etc.

[Brenden]

"There presence is no longer welcome in a muslim area". How dare they, what do they want another "no go area" make it into a mini muslim state, and there is an increasing number of those.

[brionon]

A bad view of Islam ? How can you have a Good view of Islam ?

[anotheoldgit]

/// The destruction of the Two towers and the loss of nearly 3000 innocent people comes to mind jno, this happened well before Iraq ///

And an eerie silence came from certain quarters.

[anotheoldgit]

We can only hope that this incident may at last be a 'waking-up call' for our politicians, and top brass police.

Or will it take for someone in high office before they take their heads out of the sand.

These individuals should have been automatically arrested the same as anyone else, and made a prime example of?

[anotheoldgit]

/// This isn't racist, it's discrimination on the grounds of religion and sex. Not racist.///

Oh does it then only become racist, when it is an attack against persons that happens to have a skin colour that is not white, no matter what religion or sex they are?

[boxtops]

Yes AOG, that's the definition. It's only racist (as it says) if you are defaming their race - i.e. their ethnic origin, not their religion or sex.

[jackthehat]

More, or less, AOG......yes.

[boxtops]

^^ and also no, you don't have to have a different skin to be in receipt of racist comments - for instance Poles and white Americans have white skins, people still make racist comments about them.

[exdc]

Crown Prosecution Service:

"There has been a legal ruling that Jews and Sikhs are included in the definition of racial group".

[boxtops]

I stand corrected then, exdc - I can understand that, applying to the Jews.

[exdc]

Just to try and help:

The Stephen Lawrence Inquiry Report was published in February 1999, and defined a racist incident as:

˜... any incident which is perceived to be racist by the victim or any other person."

CPS) accept this definition.

CPS) define a religious incident as:

"Any incident which is believed to be motivated because of a person's
religion or perceived religion, by the victim or any other person".

Homophobic crime

Homophobic crime is any incident which is perceived to be homophobic or transphobic by the victim or by any other person [including the perpetrator].

[anotheoldgit]

boxtops

/// for instance Poles and white Americans have white skins, people still make racist comments about them. ///

Funny that is, because I have not heard of anyone being arrested and charged with racism against them, unless of course they happen to be Black Americans.

But why just choose Poles and Americans, for example the French and the Germans, regularly have racist comments made against them, still with no particular concern shown.

[venator]

True, AOG, but the French should be a special case, as they are a load of cheese eating surrender monkeys... (laugh, please, we're getting heavy again)