The Harrow anti-Islamic demonstrations (mob, riots, whatever) were bad news for those who live there, for the nation, and especially for those of us who work in interfaith relations. Once again the English Defence League (EDL) and its partner for the day, Stop the Islamification of Europe (SIOE) did not really have to be there for the damage to have been done; the combination of a massive police presence, a Unite Against Facism (UAF) counter-demo, a lot of angry young Muslim men and the rumour of the EDL was an explosive mix. Street fights erupt as Muslims try to defend North London mosque in The Times tells it as good as anywhere. I have ranted at what has been happening in Luton and Birmingham the past two weeks, so don't propose to say much here.
The good news as far as I can see is
that the Communities Secretary John Denham seems to be taking the issues seriously and took the opportunity to make a statement yesterday. Minister warns of 1930s-style fascists on Britain's streets.
"I think the English Defence League and other organisations are not actually large numbers of people," Denham said. "They clearly though have among them people who know exactly what they're doing. If you look at the types of demonstrations they've organised … it looks pretty clear that it's a tactic designed to provoke and get a response, and hopefully create violence."
He pointed to historical "parallels" with Mosley's events. "You could go back to the 1930s if you wanted to – Cable Street and all of those types of things. The tactic of trying to provoke a response in the hope of causing wider violence and mayhem is long established on the far-right and among extremist groups."
His comparisons to Sir Oswald Mosely, the British Union of Fascists, and the Battle of Cable Street have been criticised as giving the EDL too much credibility, but he has made it clear he is worried at the trends if it is left to grow as well as the present reality. However what really marks this out is that actually we have a Communities Minister who may just want to listen:
Denham ... said there was a need for a broader strategy from government to "undercut issues that racists try to exploit". Ministers would in the coming weeks unveil a government-funded programme targeted at mainly white, working-class communities, he said.
"You need to be prepared to let people's real underlying fears and concerns come out, but address them frankly and openly," he said. He gave the example of perceptions of unfair allocation of council housing and new jobs, and said there could be changes at street level to allow local people to "influence and shape" how resources are distributed in their area.
Positive words. We shall see what comes out in the next few months. He may just be taking the complaints of the EDL seriously. The Guardian itself takes a stab at those complaints in another article: English Defence League: chaotic alliance stirs up trouble on streets. The BBC has a similar pair of articles on Denham's policy proposals ( Denham condemns right-wing groups) and the EDL (Who are the English Defence League?)
We must hear what they have to say. We have to take it seriously. Why are so many young white men in our town and beyond so angry? What were the roots of their militant Islamophobia? The Guardian:
Tommy Robinson [a pseudonym] said the germ of the EDL was evident growing up in the Bedfordshire town.
"Everyone mixes until the age of 13 or 14 and then it stops and there are Asian dinner tables at school," he said. "I don't know what it is. Maybe their parents don't want them to mix."
The trouble is that both sides are caught in this. The Guardian also has an article on the challenges to community cohesion in Birmingham: Birmingham street battles give integration less of a sporting chance. It concludes with the story of a young Muslim man:
....a young man who asked only to be identified as Amin was considering life as a young British Muslim. "I was born here, my parents have lived here for 50 years," he said. "I'm British. But I'm still going to leave. It's definite."
Despite having spent only a few months of his life in Pakistan, his parents' country of origin, the 24-year-old plans to move there for good after finishing a masters degree in marketing.
"Since 9/11 I'm starting to feel like a stranger in my own country," he said. "A big court case just makes people more suspicious. I'm not even much of a Muslim. Religion's not a big part of my life."
When both sides are effectively saying the same thing there seems to me just a little bit of hope -- if they can be persuaded to share their anger and then listen to the other.
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