title='Link to Article titled, "Will Britain convert to Islam? " on AlterMedia News '
href="http://scot.altermedia.info/?cat=2" target=_blank> style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #b8860b" color=white size=1>This
article by the other Hitchens–Peter Hitchens, brother of Christopher
Hitchens–Christopher Hitchens, who for the first time unravelled damning
evidence against Mother Theresa in his The Missionary
Position–throws light on the sad plight of Britain today.

I strongly believe that Britain is facing far too many problems than it can
cope with–teen abuse and runaways, title="Link to Article on London's Missing Children on Entelechy's Blog"
href="http://www.livejournal.com/users/ceres/2002/08/09/"
target=_blank> size=1>missing children, unemployment, and a general
deterioration of its society, to list a few prominent ones. Of course, its
greatest problem, nay, threat, is perhaps, that it has
become a safe harbour, a breeding ground for Islamic terrorist outfits of all
hues. A few months ago, a local newspaper in Bangalore, Vijay
Times had done a feature highlighting the root of this problem. The
caption for the feature ran this way (not the exact words): Have
170000 Will Let You In (I’m not sure about the exact
amount–dollars or pounds– but in any case, it is not of much significance).

The gist of this feature
was that the Immigrations office of England is more concerned with the 170000
than the antecedents of the person applying for immigration.

I admire  Peter Hitchens’ keen observations of a seemingly insignificant
social and cultural transformation of the contemporary British society. However,
while he lays stress on retaining worthy old precepts, I believe he has laid too
much emphasis on Christianity–without exploring other solutions–as the only
saving grace if Britain is to be saved from the tentacles of radical Islam.

The Christian message is a difficult and complicated one, which if not
learned in childhood is hard for adults to understand. The Christian
ceremonies, viewed coldly by an outsider unschooled in 2,000 years of
tradition, are positively peculiar. Why would anyone eat God? When Christianity was part of our culture and its beliefs were handed down
in homes and schools, its familiarity kept it strong. Everyone knew Bible
stories, hymns and prayers.

The whole article also reeks of darkness, of foreboding and a sense
of impending disaster. In this, I think Hitchens has tended to exaggerate
slightly. But I’m not sure as I don’t have the firsthand experience to speak of
it.

But Islam is interested in them. And Islam is growing. More and
more British cities have seen the domes and minarets of smart, prominently
positioned new mosques rising in their neighbourhoods. Thanks to the
immigration of recent decades, Britain has a young, energetic and swelling
Muslim population which is increasingly assertive about its faith. If
bureaucratic police and feeble justice continue to fail to suppress crime and
disorder, will the savage but simple remedies of Sharia law begin to appeal to
the British poor, who are already weary of seeing dishonesty triumph
everywhere and lawless violence go unchecked? 

In the Bradford suburb of Girlington, not far from where the
Gallaghers live in Manningham, Asian youths tried to set fire to an Anglican
church. Soon afterwards, a Brownie pack leader was attacked in a nearby street
by young men who snarled ‘Christian bitch’ at her. An isolated and meaningless
incident? You might hope so, but it would be unwise to be sure.

Hmm…I tend to agree with him on a few bits. It is a pattern with
Islamic followers. They slowly trickle in, in surprisingly few numbers, and when
they realize that they’re quite sizable in number, they begin by building a
mosque. Slowly, but certainly, the native/local populace sells its property and
moves away to different locations. I’ve seen this happen in my native town. When
I was a boy of three, there were about 10 Muslim families surrounded by plenty
of Hindu/other inhabitants. Today, not a single family following other faiths
has remained there, and the entire locality is Muslim-dominated. While I have
nothing against it, I believe that people belonging to other faiths rarely take
that route even though it is a shortcut to their destination.

Coming back to Hitchens, he says that democracy, free trade and
immigration has enabled Islam enter Britain rather easily, and if the
country goes on unheeding, the answer to the question posed by the title of this
article may well be a resounding Yes.

…we should remember that Muslim armies came within inches of
taking Vienna in 1683 and were only driven from Spain in 1492…. that Islam,
one of the great forces of history, long ago defeated by the armies and navies
of a mighty Christian Europe, is once again feeling its strength and finding
that it has been able to penetrate what were once the most impregnable
fortresses of its great rival.