The Common Enemy

I should probably apologise for giving Blair yet more valuable airspace.  Lord knows how many column inches have already been devoted to him over the last few days as he subtly elbows his way into the spotlight surrounding the Labour leadership campaign, but his comments regarding radical Islam irk me too, and here is why.

Radicals, by their very nature, tend to be idealistic and romantic visionaries, prone to seeing what they want to see rather than what is there.  The irony of Blair using this term to describe others is probably lost on him at this stage, as it has been on a number of other blogs I have read today praising his comments and hysterically spouting Islamophobia.

I have no doubt that there are people out there in the wider world who despise the West and all they feel it stands for.  I should be clear too that I am not simply talking about those liberal-minded types who oppose or challenge an accepted point of view - a true radical will not accept that there are shades of grey in any argument and will accept no other viewpoint than his own.  Furthermore, anyone who uses violence to further their agenda, regardless of their ideology, must be stopped or freedom will inevitably be restricted as a result.

In the face of growing evidence to support climate change, world financial meltdown and continued imperialism from former colonial powers, the threat of radical Islam pales somewhat in its influence upon the daily life of the man in the street.  Fear of an enemy lurking around every corner and living amongst us does, however, have a genuinely corrosive effect on multi-cultural communities within the UK.

The simple fact is that the 9/11 bombers have as little in common with a typical moderate Muslim as the white Christian who bombed Oklahoma City does with any typical white layworker in the street.  Remember that the Allied invasion of Iraq, okayed by Mr Blair, was deemed illegal by Kofi Annan, who was at that time Secretary General of the United Nations.  This illegal war has done more as an incitement to violence and a propogator of bad feeling between the religions than possibly any other act since the Crusades.  For commentators to declare, as some have done, that the world is now a safer place as a result of the war on terror is simply spurious fiction.

The common enemy of all right-thinking people is the man who will lie and cheat others, turning them against one another to achieve his own goals.  I hope you will forgive the poor analogy, but Tony Blair blaming Islam for world insecurity is like blaming wasps for ruining your day after you have spent the morning throwing rocks at their nest.

Share your thoughts in the comments.