21 December 2014

Heroes of 2014: Innes Bowen, the woman who mapped British Islam

Innes Bowen is a Radio 4 producer on current affairs who has spent much of the last eight years doing some serious journalism in her free time. What she has come up with is not sensational, but is enormously important. Her little book on British Islam, Medina in Birmingham, Najaf in Brent, lays out for the first time in terms accessible to a lay audience something of the inner structures and dynamics of Islam in Britain.

[TOP RATED COMMENT 272 votes] No doubt interesting as far as it goes, but I'd like some kind of truth and reconciliation commission to find out from the politicians who oversaw this epoch ending level of migration, just what it was they thought they were doing and why.

Whole cities and regions have changed character, and for the first time in history, this wasn't done as a result of war and conquest, but with the willing cooperation of governments who controlled their borders. I'll never forgive them, but I'd like to know 'why' before I die

[ANOTHER 143] Don't give up hope yet - France is where the next act of this drama will play out. The leftists there are in revolt against faux-leftism and seek to reassert the primacy of French culture. No doubt, much blood will be spilt, but such is life.

[SECOND 234] It would be nice to say that Islam has made positive contributions to Britain but I can think of none. The maladaptations have been all too evident in the news in recent years, especially in 2014, in regards to Islam in the UK.

[THIRD 207] "their continuing closeness to the societies and histories from which the original immigrants came"

You could rephrase this to say: "their reluctance to integrate and accept the values of the host society."

[FOURTH 165] "You can’t understand today’s Britain without reading this."

The more I understand about the ideology known as islam, the more I see the need to oppose the idea that it can ever be said to be part of Britain.

[FOURTH 153] Yawn - another attempt to bury the truth. A Radio 4 producer who thinks islam is fecking brilliant. Who'd have guessed!!

[FIFTH 143] I know how Muslims, at least a lot of them live, and what they believe. Outsiders are not really in a position to judge, as most Muslims pretend to be more tolerant when talking to non Muslim Englishmen. Here are some atitudes:

1. All the world events involving Muslims(in not nice things) are viewed with suspiction.

2. Hardly anybody thinks that in this 21st century any change is needed in original Islamic teachings.

3. Terrorist activties initiated by Islamists are not taken on face value and claim to be done by others to give Islam a bad name.

4. Very few believe in equal rights for women. Most beieve their daugters should accept the choice of their parents. Boys normally have good time with girls of other faiths, but girls are prohibited to have relationship before marriage. Some girls do, but without the knowledge of parents and brothers.

5. Most of get togthers see women and men sitting seperately and they do not talk to to each other. (men and women) [Guardian Cif] Read more