What is wrong with the West Midlands Police? Just last month they had to pay out £100,000 over their handling of the Undercover Mosque fiasco, and now they are being taken to court by two Christian evangelists who were threatened with arrest for handing out leaflets in a Muslim area of Birmingham.
Arthur Cunningham and Joseph Abraham, both of whom are American, were talking to a group of young men in the Alum Rock Road area of the city when they were approached by a PCSO, who began questioning them about their beliefs. When he discovered their nationality, he, displaying the professionalism for which PCSOs are justly renowned, favoured them with a lengthy diatribe against George Bush, before telling them that as the area was a Muslim one, they were not allowed to preach Christianity there, that doing so constituted a "hate crime", and that if they did not desist they would be arrested. He also told them not to return to the area, saying, "you have been warned. If you come back here and get beaten up, well you have been warned".
As I've remarked before, it seems that incidents like this are happening on a weekly basis, if not more frequently. The West Midlands force has a particularly poor record, but officers from all police forces seem quite happy to use threats and intimidation in order to silence politically-incorrect views, and prevent politically-incorrect behaviour, a category within which promulgating Christian doctrine apparently now falls. I particularly note that, rather than make an effort to ensure that all people are safe to go anywhere in the country without getting beaten up, the PCSO in this case evidently feels that if Messrs Cunningham and Abraham were to get attacked, it would be their own fault, and no concern of his. No wonder dissatisfaction with the police is at record levels!
The PCSO's comments also indicate that, when Michael Nazir-Ali made his famous remarks about "no go areas", he was absolutely right. After all, the PCSO - who I rather suspect may have been a Muslim himself (update: he was) - made no bones about telling the men that if they preached Christianity in a Muslim area they were at risk of being assaulted. If that doesn't make an area a "no go area", then what does?
This, then, is Britain in 2008: a country in which Muslim preachers can incite murder with impunity, while Christian preachers are threatened with arrest for peacefully handing out leaflets; a country in which free speech is stifled to appease favoured minorities; a country in which certain areas become unsafe for non-Muslims, and our political and religious leaders turn a blind eye. And liberals still can't understand why we don't all embrace multiculturalism and "diversity"!
Hat-tip: Anon, in the comments
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11 comments:
Yeah. We definitely ought to give Muslims their own state schools.
More seriously, what the hell are we going to do about this?
Personally, although not usually not given to ostentation, I make damned sure they know I'm a Christian when I'm out & about. Crucifix, lapel pin and esp. reading matter on the train...our trains are snided with them.
The spokeswoman added that following the investigation the PCSO had been offered "guidance around what constitutes a hate crime as well as his communication style".
However West Mids Police REFUSED to apologize. The DAily Mail carries an article about the PCSO and yes he is a Muslim complete with beard. Was unemploed for a while before West Mids ticked some quota boxes by employing him - DISGRACEFUL.
In a climate of moral cowardice, when someone as pusillanimous and fatuous as Rowan Williams can can get to be Archbishop of Canterbury, isn't it almost inevitable that promoting Christianity will become a 'hate crime'?
A further example of Dhimmitude being imposed on Britain. Dhimmi law states that for a non-Muslim to proselytize a Muslim is a capital offence. While we have not got that far yet it certainly seems to have become a criminal one.
For a full description of Dhimmitude see http://www.peacefaq.com/dhimma.html
"What is wrong with the West Midlands Police?"
Good question, their track record suggests this isn't a one-off.
Innocently preaching to Muslim children near a Mosque? Hmmmm…something tells me they were asking for trouble somehow.
Technically if they were acting anti-socially the PCSO DOES have the power to take their details, and if they refuse to play ball the PCSO DOES have the power to detain them, and he does have the power to escort them to a police station. See Police Reform Act 2002 and then amendments in Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005. – Powers to detain with force & Escort detained persons to a police station.
Regardless of that, I can’t help thinking that, had this been a white PCSO, no one would bat an eye lid. This, in my opinion, speaks volumes.
Bloggsy.
"Innocently preaching to Muslim children near a Mosque? Hmmmm…something tells me they were asking for trouble somehow."
Quite right! Where did they think they were, a free country or something..? Didn't they realise that they might provoke an incident.
After all, it isn't as if Islam is a 'Religion of Peace', is it..?.
Oh. Wait...
"Regardless of that, I can’t help thinking that, had this been a white PCSO, no one would bat an eye lid. This, in my opinion, speaks volumes."
You aren't being paid to enforce your opinion, though, are you...?
Nor is this PCSO, who hopefully is now in a bit of trouble. No doubt WMP will allow him to skate on it, but the blogosphere has a long memory.. ;)
Incidentally, if this comment is an indication of the 'thinking' that we can expect from PCSOs, then the sooner the position is wiped from the statute books, the better.
Incidentally, if you are so desperately keen to avoid offending the sensibilities of the Muslim community that you favour threatening arrest to remove 'self righteous Americans' from 'their' areas, you may wish to alter your 'About Me' on your blogpage:
"I suppose I’m kind of on a crusade if you will."
Just some friendly advice :)
PCSO Bloggs:
"Regardless of that, I can’t help thinking that, had this been a white PCSO, no one would bat an eye lid. This, in my opinion, speaks volumes."
Yes, mainly about your paranoia. As I recall, when this story first emerged, the name of the PCSO in question was not known: no one knew that he was a Muslim, and, as such, one cannot just suppose that everyone who has complained about this was motivated by "racism". Much as it may astonish you, some of us actually object to people being prevented from expressing Christian views peacefully, in a Christian country - whoever does the preventing. It would be just as disgusting if a white PCSO had done this, but the fact is that, in this case, the PCSO who behaved in this manner was a Muslim. Do you think that the fact that he is not white should shield him from all criticism?
Incidentally, perhaps you could tell me: do you believe in free speech? Also, if people are at risk of being attacked for doing no more than expressing their views, do you not agree that the job of both real police officers and PCSOs should be to take action to ensure that that person can express their views in safety? And that if they arrest or threaten to arrest anyone, it should be the potential aggressors, rather than the potential victims?
I also note that neither here nor at your own blog have you commented on your colleague's anti-American rant: is such conduct acceptable in a PCSO, do you think?
Oh, and do you share PCSO Naguthney's view that preaching Christian doctrine in a "Muslim area" constitutes a "hate crime"?
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