Beyond Terror: Islams Slow Erosion of Western Democracy; Anne Marie Waters (Something or Other Publishing (Hardback) £22.95 from Amazon.
Anne Marie Waters has managed to attract controversy throughout her political career. I first came across her when she was being targeted by the Labour left and in particular (a now almost deceased blog) Socialist Unity. At the time Anne Marie was in the running to be a Labour Party PPC. She was also involved in the One Law for All campaign that was run by Maryam Namazie an Iranian ex-Muslim and member of the Worker Communist Party of Iran.
Like others I rushed to her defence in a blog piece that still receives hits almost daily since it was published: Anne Marie Waters resigns from the Labour Party which neatly brings me to her book.
Published in the USA because no British publisher would take it on the book came out a few weeks ago. Having read the book I am not sure why, her criticisms of Islam are quite valid and do require public debate without being censored by the so-called "religion of peace" that makes death threats against it's critics.
Salman Rushdie anyone? It was the way the far-left and the liberal establishment acted so cowardly over the fatwa that I for one gave up on the comrades some of whom were preparing to publish a letter supporting Rushdie in the Guardian. Then some snowflake decided it would be seen as "racists" (despite the fact Rushdie is err a brown ex-Muslim) and returned my cheque saying they would not be going ahead.
The journey that Anne Marie Waters describes is one that many people especially post Corbyn will understand she writes:
Leading up to my exit, I was heavily involved in the Labour Party (Britain s main left-of-centre political party)and was co-chairperson of the One Law for All anti-Sharia group. I was perfectly aware that many left wing groups were not only silent on the growth and dangers of Islamism but actively supported Islamist campaigners and spokesmen. I failed to see the intrinsic link between, Left-wing thought and that of Islamism and believed the left with persuasion would come to their senses and realise their error.
Of course they never did and most with a few exceptions probably never will. No wonder anti-Semitism so intrinsic in the Koran finds such willing dunderheads in the far-left.
Persecuted by the left and local Islamic "community leaders" (which as she points out were not speaking for every Muslim) because of her stance on women's rights shows that the left have no "shibboleths" and will dump anything to gain electoral support.
Where I part company with Anne Marie was her decision to join UKIP which surprised me (I am a remainer) and subsequently I wrote to her stating she was making a mistake but would still take notice of her other work particularly on Islam.
It is this which forms the centre of the book. A step by step dismissal of the oppressive ideology of Islam. In her introduction Anne Marie makes this perfectly clear:
This is a book about Islam as a political force. It is about Islamic attitudes to women, homosexuals and individual freedom. It is about how these beliefs are now impacting on the democratic nations of the Western world.
Anne Marie Waters gained more publicity, some may say notoriety when she stood for and lost the UKIP leadership battle. Since then she has taken core supporters and established a new political party For Britain. Most commentators place this on the far right but Anne Marie is far from being a fascist.
Being highly critical of Islam does not automatically place anyone on the far-right. It used to be an indicator if anti-Semitism was prevalent but as the video below shows Anne Marie is no such thing, For Britain places itself somewhere on the right because of it's anti-EU stance, though to be fair the Communist Party is also anti EU and the Labour left has become riddled with anti-Semitism thinly disguised as anti-Zionism.
Political labels are becoming more fluid these days it seems.
As part of her conclusion Anne Marie writes:
Democratic states must start walking the walk. It is time to step up and and defend our values and cease apologising and relativising, and stop pretending that brutal tyranny is just another culture.
A worthy read but misguided on Europe. Our nations future does need new politics, new politicians and a new party. For Britain is not that vehicle it will have to come from the centre with some radical ideas which perhaps Anne Marie could have made some contribution but currently her stance would not be acceptable to mainstream politicians.
A shame as I share her beliefs that Islam and the far-left are the threat to our way of life.
Well, she's mistaken about one thing: There are more than 100,000 Jews in Britain. I believe the figure is closer to 280,000. That's still a tiny population, of course. And it's been shrinking for a long time. But she's right, I think, about Labour's electoral calculations.
ReplyDelete