In God We Trust

Let me be honest, this entry is a little off topic; then again what I write, say and do tends to lack any continuity at all. I don't expect this post to change anything or alter things in any way, it is just what I think and how I view religion.

Once again we have seen an event which cites religion as the catalyst, more specifically Islam. The motivation behind this atrocity is said to be about immigration and the spread of Islam. What I like about religion is that it encourages people to form a sense of community, belonging and to respect one another - Islam does not differ to this. Yet, we have people such as the perpetrator who carried out these atrocities who spouts fundamentalist ideas and far-right views about how Islam is taking over. I am sorry, but nobody can force you to believe in something, everybody has free will. Islam is not taking over, no religion is. People with the views such as the man who carried out these henous crimes, the EDL, the BNP etc. are wholly and totally wrong. They are ignorant and base their judgements on a very very small minority of people, many of whom were not even Muslim. Far-right groups such as the EDL and BNP masquerade as "against Islamic extremism", but in actual fact they are against anybody who is non-white.

On 3rd September the EDL will enter Tower Hamlets, one of the UK's most Islamic areas; their reasoning for doing so? To protest "against Islamic extremism" of course. I am baffled by this because A) what will this achieve? B) what have the residents of Tower Hamlets got to do with "Islamic extremism"? C) to march through an area of people and condemn their religion is sickening D) this will neither help or change anything (for the better).

Segregation is what promotes paranoia and fear, I understand that many cultures densely populate certain areas and this is an issue which needs tackling. It can be solved through inclusion and encouraging people to come together, i.e through events, street parties and get togethers. This country was built on multiculturalism, it is one of the few things that makes me proud of society. Everybody should have the right to live in any country they wish to; after all, it is only an island on which you happen to have been born on. Multiculturalism is something that should be embraced, not shunned. Why do you think there is so much hatred and prejudice against other cultures and ethenicities? It's because of segregation.

There is good and bad in everybody, should we then suppose that all Catholics and Protestants are violent due to the conflicts in Northern Ireland? - the answer is no, we shouldn't. An individual is responsable for his/her actions and how they treat people, their religion isn't.

Everybody is an individual, regardless of background, sexuality, religion, skin colour, gender, appearance etc. A person should be viewed for WHO they are rather than WHAT they are.

A lot of problems would be eradicated if religion didn't exist, but then again people are happier, friendlier, more spiritual and peaceful with it. It is people who misinterpret it and take the context out of hand who give it a bad name.

The BNP say they want to "keep Britain British" (I suppose they mean keep the things we haven't taken from everywhere else then). The EDL say they want to keep England English. Okay then, how do you explain them just concentrating on Islamic extremism and overlooking Americanisation and Globalisation? The answer is you can't. I'm absolutely all for multiculturalism, but what would be nice is if local businesses, working men's clubs, grocers and paper shops could be kept open without being taken over by huge conglomerates. This is what the BNP and EDL should be campaigning against, not religion.