The Politics of Dancing

Islam, Blasphemy and Civility of Discourse A few Sundays back a protest took place in Whitehall central London. The protest, called by an organisation called The Muslim Action Forum, was against the cartoon depiction of Mohammed produced on the front cover of Charlie Hebdo magazine. The demand the protesters were making was for an innocuous sounding ‘global civility.’ Well who could object to civility, only on closer examination this ‘civility’ turns out to be something of a one way street. Civility on these terms does not consist of Muslims accepting that free speech might sometimes present ideas/images that might make them feel uncomfortable,but that as citizens of a free country accepting that this is one of the elements with which they must contend. No, civility demands accepting that religious, especially Muslim, sensitivities trumps all. Above all it means a blasphemy law. No negative comments and absolutely no depiction of the founder of the religion of Islam. Though t...

The self-described Islamic state/Daesh is on the retreat, though far from finished the tide is turning and they will, eventually, be defeated.*  As they taste defeat and the army of foreign volunteers begin to experience the corrosion of morale and spirit in the face of the squalid reality of daily slaughter and the constant presence of violent death, thoughts will turn to desertion, escape back to a world of clean clothes and bed linen, were the bombs and shells no longer fall. Extricating oneself from Daesh is not however an easy process and requests to leave are met with the threat of execution . Though reports of numbers vary it seems have made good on this threat, executing up to 200 individuals . Even if this ‘obstacle’ can be overcome there is still the little matter of finding ones way back home. If they achieve this on arrival back in the UK they then, at least theoretically, face arrest and charge with terrorist related offences. I say theoretically since it seems t...