What James Delingpole And I Think Muslims Really Think

Having written about the reviewers’ reaction to the programme What Muslims Really Think I might as well say something about my own reaction.

James Delingpole says most of it for me, here, in his Spectator review of the programme on Channel 4.. 

Of course, like us, and no doubt many of our readers, James Delingpole is already familiar with the issues raised by Trevor Phillips.   

We’ve been on about it for ages, lamenting the fact that the mainstream press are too timid to risk throwing off the political correctness that binds them. Binds them and blinds them.

The fact that Trevor Phillips was once a notorious proponent of political correctness gives his awakening added value. The non-Jew that defends Israel gets double points for objectivity, by way of his/her/their non-tribal status. Trev gets his for being black and a Guardian reader. (Not that we know which papers he reads, but ‘Guardian reader’ is a code word these days.)

James delingpole says:

Normally the PC response to these surveys is to shoot the messenger, as the BBC and the Guardian and the usual dhimmi apologists did last year, when the Sun revealed that one in four British Muslims sympathised with the motives of the Charlie Hebdo killers. 

They’ll find it harder this time, not just because Phillips is black and probably reads the Guardian, but also because the survey was so thorough. It was conducted, face to face, by people of the same religion. And when it came to the really tricky question — the one about terrorism — a blank envelope was provided for the answer, so that respondents felt freer to say what they really thought.

I forgot to mention that. The survey was face to face, Muslim-to-Muslim. An envelope was provided for discretion and privacy when the terrorism question came up.

Back on my particular hobby horse, I have a slight quibble with James Delingpole when he says:

 “There wasn’t much to disagree with in this brave and honest programme, except for the odd momentary lapse, as when Phillips said, of Islamophobia, ‘I’ve no doubt that most of it emanates from sheer blind prejudice.’ 

That wasn’t the only lapse. What about the talking head - apparently a comedian of some sort - who tried to make the point that you mustn’t hold Israel’s malevolence against every Jew. Now I’m sure he meant well, but it’s very annoying when people get away with saying that. It amounts to saying not all Jews are bad - there are good Jews - the ones who denounce Israel. 

There are several forthright comments below the line of James Delingpole's piece. Worth a read.

Maybe the tide is slowly turning. The case against Tommy Robinson has been thrown out by a sensible judge.