What would Abdullah Quilliam have thought of Stuart Peters views?

Casting around for distractions (I think my glorious day out yesterday in the brisk air of Eary Cushlin may have induced the first signs of the murran) I find these personal comment from Manx Radio presenter Stuart Peters on Manx Forums:

“I have two thoughts on this, entirely personal as ever and no doubt unpopular with the chattering liberal classes:

1. Charity begins at home. Not one penny should be sent off-island while people here suffer any hardship that government could reasonably be expected to ameliorate. This clearly does not apply to the workshy or feckless.

2. Islam is inconsistent with the Western way of life and should only not be encouraged in the name of multiculturalism, it should be actively resisted. Mass migration won't affect me, but I fear that my children and grandchildren will grow up in a fundamentalist caliphate that will engulf then destroy from within thousands of years of evolution and culture.”

I know radio presenters do like sometimes to be controversial and hosting as he does a ‘talk-back’ show as Tesco puts it ‘every little helps’. He does however stress its a personal view and my first thought is he seems to have downers on quite a few. I mean do we have a bothersome ‘chattering liberal class’? Personally I’m more concerned about the greedy ‘upper class’ as personified by the Chamber of Commerce which Stuarts employer is ‘proud to be a part of’.

I do agree to an extent that charity at home should come first (and did my bit in that respect from a personal perspective last week). However you cannot turn your back on the problems of the world if you want to be a global player. In any case the Island through its offshore status has probably exploited more out of the third world than it will give back.

His third point on ‘Islam’ I find perplexing as I don’t particularly value any religion but I don’t see why if people feel strongly that they can’t promote it. I have to confess I do get a tad irritated by the Bishop in the Tynwald but well let's not go there.

If one of the various Christian groups turn up at my door I don’t slam it in their face I just patiently explain ‘for about the 1000th time in my life’ that I’m not buying and after a few pleasantries wish them good day.

I don’t see either why a singular religious faith is seen as promoting multiculturalism but come on the Island has accepted multiculturalism for centuries. It even accepted Stuart when he arrived with his culture!

Call me a member of ‘the chattering liberal class’ if you wish but I think ultimately a community that accepts diversity is a better place.

I muse it's unfortunate that Abdullah Quilliam was not around to give Stuart a few tips after all they both derived from the same neck of the woods and Abdullah positively embraced Islam and indeed founded England's first mosque.

Link:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abdullah_Quilliam

Image: Abdullah Quilliam

Bernard Moffatt