Salut!

Is the far right any less a menace to civilisation than Islamism? No

I am not sure this attack on the far right and its pernicious influence needs more of an introduction than to say it is my latest contribution to Arab Weekly. All my offerings can be seen at this link

When a woman in the studio audience for the BBC’s flagship political discussion programme Question Time spouted intemperate anti-immigrant rhetoric, one comforting thought was that she represented, at most, a tiny minority of the British population.

After all, demands that “we should completely close the borders”, a claim that Britain was sinking under the weight of immigrants and a complaint about hospital noticeboards offering the courtesy of translated versions of useful messages, would surely be dismissed as the ramblings of a deranged mind. She even turned out to have a long record of far-right attachment.

The more disconcerting reality was revealed by a glance at social media in the ensuing days. The BBC tweeted the rant and people were queuing up to applaud the woman. “Exactly what a lot of people think,” one user replied. “Thank goodness someone has the guts to speak the truth,” said another.

French presidential policy on reforming Islam and a mighty L'Opinion spoof

 

 

As you scroll down, you'll reach my latest column for the London-based Arab Weekly. Click here to see all my work for that newspaper, reproduced with the editor's consent 

 

 

 

Newspaper readers - remember them? - need to be of a certain age to recall The Guardian's wonderful 1977 April Fool joke, a seven-page supplement about the island of San Seriffe, invented for the purpose.

The French magazine L'Opinion had a San Seriffe moment last week, running a 7,000+-word presidential address, ostensibly verbatim from the lips of Emmanuel Macron but made up from start to finish. It was credible enough in large parts to fool - if only briefly - a few people, well me and a distinguished French journalist to whom I turned as I sought verification that this was indeed Macron telling the nation how he proposed to implement his promise to reform the organisation of Islam while also tackling extremism.

Since the Elysée press 'service' never responds to my questions, I thought my confrère might know whether any other news organisations had picked it up or were doing so (I had seen no sign of this, hence my suspicions). He read through it as we spoke and said that while 'flowery' in parts, it could be genuine. Then I looked again and spotted a footnote, dismissed earlier as it looked like one of those web ads ...

L'affaire Mila: how an angry teenager's foul-mouthed rant has gripped France

For my latest column in the Arab Weekly, I suggested writing about the extraordinary row in France over anti-Islam remarks, though also anti-religion of any kind, that have brought a 16-year-old lycéenne called Mila more than 15 minutes of notoriety ...

At last the French have a distraction from strikes over pension reform, ugly clashes between police and protesters and general discontent.

The country is preoccupied by l’affaire Mila, which began as a crude online spat between teenagers but grew into a full-scale national debate on competing notions: unfettered freedom of expression versus the right to worship without fear of insult.

As the French President Emmanuel Macron finally inches towards his long-promised initiative on Islam in France, a 16-year-old schoolgirl has — almost by accident — thrown a hefty spanner in the works of those striving to build a society in which Muslims and non-Muslims co-exist in mutual tolerance and respect.

Anne Sacoolas, Ashley Menser and Sir Julian Brazier. When the law is an ass, justice is poorly served

In a long article for the Daily Mail a former Tory MP, Sir Julian Brazier, describes knocking over and killing a motorcyclist while absent-mindedly driving on the wrong side of the road in Italy 18 years ago. He did what he could to help the man at the roadside and stoically prepared himself to face the music.

Brazier contrasts his obviously proper and responsible response to that of Anne Sacoolas, the American mother-of-three who knocked over and killed a motorcyclist in Northamptonshire but then slipped out of the UK to avoid prosecution, using diplomatic immunity to dodge extradition.

"Whatever the possible consequences," the ex-MP concludes, "my advice [to Sacoolas] is simply this: come back, stand trial."

After Toulouse and Brussels, London and Paris, do we consider terrorists' families reponsible?

Aqsa Mahmood. She may be dead, she certainly subjected loving parents to an appalling ordeal. See https://www.francesalut.com/2014/09/is-and-stolen-youth-the-sorrow-and-shame-of-aqsa-mahmoods-family.html

 

 

Over the years, I have interviewed several people related to terrorists. I’ve heard unconvincing but understandable protestations of innocence and I’ve heard utter disbelief.  I wrote this for the Arab Weekly...

A young man lies dying on a London street, leaving a mother to mourn the wasted, ultimately worthless life of a son drawn into the death cult of the Islamic State. A father laments the transformation of a bright, gentle boy into one of the monsters who slaughtered 90 people at a Paris rock concert.

From the British and French capitals to the Maghreb, the Indian subcontinent, the United States and beyond, the families of terrorists killed or captured ask where they went wrong as they voice their disgust and sorrow.

But the killing goes on and, all too often, families are powerless to prevent it — even if they want to.

The Bataclan massacre. Two fathers of those among the dead - one innocent, one a killer - open their hearts

All photos courtesy of Editions Robert Laffont

On the day terror again struck London, in the form of a knife attack in which people were wounded, and the assailant was shot dead by police, this article of mine went online at The National, UAE.

Interviewing the families of those caught up in terrible events can be emotional occasions for even the most experienced of journalists. Sometimes, it can also be uplifting. Talking to Georges Salines, the father of a young woman cruelly murdered at the Bataclan theatre in Paris on Nov 13 2015, and Azdyne Amimour, whose son was one of her killers, fitted both descriptions* ...

When ISIS terrorists stormed the Bataclan theatre in Paris and opened fire on a rock concert audience, Georges Salines lost a daughter, Azdyne Amimour a son. Both were 28.

As they came to terms with their grief, the two fathers met and decided to write a book together as a simple, therapeutic project.

What made it exceptional was that Mr Amimour’s son, Samy, was one of the three gunmen who murdered Lola Salines and 89 other people inside the hall. He was also killed, shot by police before detonating his suicide vest.

ISIS makes Israel its number one enemy. Has it the capacity to inflict serious damage?

With thanks to Marco Verch (trendingtopics), the Flickr member who posted this photo and made it available under Creative Commons

I do not exist only to wind up those who have inflicted what I call GNASH, a Great National Act of Self Harm, on the UK. In an ideal - for me - world, I would have covered the subject again for my contribution this week to The Arab Weekly. The editor* wisely diverted my attention to the recent claim from ISIS to have made Israel its principal target. After comprehensive military defeats in Syria and Iraq, is its threat a classic piece of sabre-rattling or should the Israelis be taking heed? ....

Israel is back in the Islamic State firing line. Following the terrorist group's “declaration of war”, analysts have been assessing whether it has the ability to mount seriously damaging assaults on the state it might be expected to hate more than any other, including the United States.

Four years have passed since Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, then the Islamic State (ISIS) leader, boasted “we are getting closer by the day” to attacking Israel. Little happened to suggest ISIS was able, however willing, to organise operations of major significance on Israeli soil.

Ah for the eloquence of Brexit. A jubilant Leaver sums up the will of the people

CR writes:  my update is that the clip and the tweet that introduced it have disappeared,. No idea why but see it here

https://twitter.com/cristo_radio/status/1223391485976072194?s=20

 

 

Salt of the earth. Telling it how it is. The voice of the people.

However you look at it, this clip captured the popular mood - in all its passionate and patriotic glory - as Britain took to the streets to celebrate shaking off the shackles of Brussels.