If Moderate Muslims Exist They Need to Speak Up

Once again Muslims are being portrayed as idiotic, unthinking animals - and it's those of their own ranks who are doing it.

Imagine, an independent and democratic country, the UK decides it will give Salman Rushdie a knighthood and a bunch of Muslims decide this should not be done because they believe this man has insulted their religion. Therefore EVERYONE else in the world has to agree with them or be considered an enemy.

For goodness sake!

One jackass even said that it would be right for a suicide bomber to blow up Rushdie.

I am yet to hear any moderate Muslims speaking out against this idiocy.

This is why Muslims and Islam have such a terrible reputation because it seems as though the religion and the proponents of it are intolerant, stupid and backward.

The other major religion, Christianity has some backward attitudes attached to it (in terms of the role of women) but any Christian can tell you that the perception has come about because of people perverting the tenets of Christianity - and you can point to millions of Christians living their lives and not adhering to these or other distortions of their faith. Maybe there are millions of Muslims who do likewise and if this is so they need to step out and show themselves - prominently.

When the story comes to bump - some Muslim moderate will be dragged into the public arena to say that Islam is a faith of peace - that it believes in the equality of women etc. etc./ But if this is so why can't we see it?

If these fanatics are really on the fringe - why are they so prominent? The David Koreshs and the Jack Jones (who it was clear to see weren't true Christians but nutters) haven't spawned thousands of other Christians trying to kill themselves and others in the process. I know this did happen in Ireland for many years but it was only in Ireland - that country has its own unique painful history.

But why are Muslims behaving like ignorant barbarians in so many parts of the world - without a clear picture for the rest of us to see what it means to be a true Muslim? It's time to question whether or not this religion actually is one of peace or if the fanatics represent the true face of Islam - and if so steps need to be taken to secure free countries from the terribly negative effects.

The wussy British government hasn't made any stern comment on the Pakistani Religious minister's comments about the suicide bomber - because (according to channel 4 news) they want to keep Pakistan sweet in the fight against terror. This is wrong. You can't have people advocating killing someone because of their beliefs and stay quiet.

I congratulate Sir Rushdie and hope he stays alive.

Politricks

So Lisa Hanna is running for a constituency? I haven't delved very deep yet - just read some of the current stories so I haven't got the details of what happened when it happened. But it seems that she wasn't picked fairly to run for the seat in St. Ann and it also seems that people are pissed off that she should be running for a seat in an area that she doesn't live in and probably knows little about.

Sound like a right royal cock up. I'll read more and report back.

In other news Shonda Rimes has seemingly given in to pressure and 'not asked Isaiah Washington to come back' next season. All of this because he called one of his co-stars (the guy who plays George[?]) a faggott. This actor is gay and he took exception to the term as did many other people. In return Isaiah went to 'rehab' and apologised many times and hung out with some gay groups for awhile - but all seemed to be in vain. I'm pissed he's leaving - First of all he is the best looking man on the show (God know why people thing McDreamy looks good. I swear white women are blind!) And secondly I love his and Yang's relationship.

To have him effectively fired after all the apologies etc serves no purpose whatsoever. A really stupid move.

Useful and Interesting websites

Check out this story in today’s Independent. http://comment.independent.co.uk/commentators/article2640824.ece It has a whole long list of really interesting and useful websites. Enjoy.

Recycling?

Here in the UK there has been much talk about how little we recycle. Most local councils provide green bins for recycling and some are planning to penalise households who throw too much rubbish away and don't recycle enough.

Now I recycle. All my recycling goes into that green bin which is collected once every fortnight (too infrequently for me - I fill the bin in three days). Then it dawned on me the other day.

Unless the council employs people to separate the recycling (and I doubt they do) that means my 'recycling' is going into the landfill. What hypocrites!

Messing Around With Your Means of Earning a Living

Messing Around With Your Means of Earning a Living. Something that many people in the UK seem to have an affinity for - even if it doesn't benefit them.

Case in point the situation with foreign teachers. The UK authorities will target countries like Jamaica and try and get teachers to come to their country to teach the kids that no British teacher in their right mind wants to teach. So these Jamaican teachers come over and teach these kids - and believe me - it's not a pleasant task. They face racial and physical abuse, kids who have no interest in learning, who indeed actually laud ignorance and scorn intelligence, and rampant indiscipline.

Now upon recruitment, these teachers' qualifications and experience is adequate. But here in the UK for some asinine reason, those qualifications and that experience 'disappears' at the end of four years. For after teaching for four years in the UK education system you have to pay for, take the time out to do and obtain what they call Qualified Teacher Status (QTS). If not, you can no longer teach. Poof, livelihood gone. Also as this article in the Gleaner outlines http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20070603/lead/lead3.html the information the UK authorities give about QTS is often inaccurate and obtaining it is not easy when you are working, much less when you are working in the worst schools, often under what they call 'special measures.' This means that on top of teaching and dealing with the crap I described above, you are assessed by the authorities CONSTANTLY. The stress is incredible.

Now you tell me why for the first four years a Jamaican teacher's qualifications are acceptable but after they are not? That makes any sense whatsoever to you?

This place is unbelievable! It's one of two things. They are screwing with foreign teacher's livelihoods - or feel that them coming to teach is some kind of activity that only benefits the foreign teacher - because they come to live in '1st world country' and therefore there must be a limit on the 'bounty,' or they have no care whatsoever for their own kids. For logic would state that if a Jamaican has to get British qualifications to teach here, therefore the Jamaican qualifications aren't any good, therefore letting them teach for four years based on these Jamaican qualifications is placing sub standard teachers in the UK system. Ergo British kids suffer.

The whole situation is ridiculous. Teaching qualifications do not expire - if that was the case then why do British trained teachers not have to gain some other form of qualification after fours years in order to keep on teaching?

The sad thing is that the UK DOES need teachers and by keeping up this almshouse all they are doing is shooting themselves in the foot - because let's be honest - the culture here is not one conducive to obtaining a great education - because of the British attitude. Taking out qualified ( and yes, Caribbean qualifications are top notch) teachers is just adding to the gross ignorance sweeping this country.

Really really stupid in my opinion.

And in the meantime, teachers who put up with incredibly terrible conditions, can no longer earn a living doing something valuable and something they love in spite of the lack of discipline and the dedication to remain ignorant that is the hallmark of so many British people.