Ban It!
Many years
ago in London, I worked with a right-wing looper
called Seth. Well, Seth wasn't his real name, but he
was reputed to resemble a character in some soap
opera or other, and so that's what he was called.
Anyways, Seth was your typical Sun-reading
reactionary. His response to anything he found
objectionable could be summed up in two words - "Ban
it!"
The Notting Hill Carnival? Ban it!
Trade unions? Ban them!
Football 'ooligans? Ban them!
Etc., Etc.
I was reminded of Seth last week when I was reading A Tangled Web. (I made a vow last year never to visit that site again, but it's just one of those things. It's like watching an excruciating scene from The Office, through your fingers, from behind the sofa.) Under a headline "Ban the Koran?" a writer called "The Fulham Reactionary" discusses the idea of treating the Koran as a hate text, and banning it the same way as other hate texts like Mein Kampf. The first comment came from the blog's publisher, David Vance:
"I say don't ban the Koran.
Ban Islam."
Now, maybe David was being a little tongue-in-cheek with his comment, but you don't have to delve to far into his own writings to conclude that he may well be serious.
So just for one moment, let's imagine that this was to happen, and Britain did indeed "ban Islam." (A Tangled Web is a hardline unionist blog, so the context here would refer to the UK.) What would happen?
For a start Britain would be isolated by all the international institutions to which it belongs. The EU, the UN, the Commonwealth and Nato would all kick the UK out. Now some 'wingers would be delighted at the prospect of annoying Brussels or the UN, but the UK would soon find itself in a lonely place. The Arab League would boycott trade with Britain, which would have a detrimental effect on the supply of oil. Inflation would spiral out of control and the pound would go through the floor in an instant.
Domestically, the situation would be out of control within days. Hundreds of thousands of previously innocent, blameless people would be criminalised overnight. Bradford, Luton, Birmingham and any other town or city with a significant Muslim population would be in flames. The police would be stretched to the limit as they struggle to cope with the unrest as well as clamping down on all of Britain's now illegal mosques. Islam would be driven underground, and those Muslims that were previously abhorred by the actions of those who committed atrocities in the name of Islam would be driven to the margins of society. When something is banned unjustly, the reaction of those affected is not to acquiesce to the new law, but to fight against it. Moderates would become hardliners overnight.
Then of course, Britain would become a major target for an attack by international Islamist terrorists. Every ululating nutjob from anywhere on earth would start making his way to Britain in order to attain martyrdom and the attendant 72 virgins upon completion of his mission. The population would live in a constant state of fear, wary of congregating in crowds in case it attracted the attention of a jihadist.
Basically, Britain would collapse as a society within a couple of weeks. And that would be a good thing, eh, David et al?
The Notting Hill Carnival? Ban it!
Trade unions? Ban them!
Football 'ooligans? Ban them!
Etc., Etc.
I was reminded of Seth last week when I was reading A Tangled Web. (I made a vow last year never to visit that site again, but it's just one of those things. It's like watching an excruciating scene from The Office, through your fingers, from behind the sofa.) Under a headline "Ban the Koran?" a writer called "The Fulham Reactionary" discusses the idea of treating the Koran as a hate text, and banning it the same way as other hate texts like Mein Kampf. The first comment came from the blog's publisher, David Vance:
"I say don't ban the Koran.
Ban Islam."
Now, maybe David was being a little tongue-in-cheek with his comment, but you don't have to delve to far into his own writings to conclude that he may well be serious.
So just for one moment, let's imagine that this was to happen, and Britain did indeed "ban Islam." (A Tangled Web is a hardline unionist blog, so the context here would refer to the UK.) What would happen?
For a start Britain would be isolated by all the international institutions to which it belongs. The EU, the UN, the Commonwealth and Nato would all kick the UK out. Now some 'wingers would be delighted at the prospect of annoying Brussels or the UN, but the UK would soon find itself in a lonely place. The Arab League would boycott trade with Britain, which would have a detrimental effect on the supply of oil. Inflation would spiral out of control and the pound would go through the floor in an instant.
Domestically, the situation would be out of control within days. Hundreds of thousands of previously innocent, blameless people would be criminalised overnight. Bradford, Luton, Birmingham and any other town or city with a significant Muslim population would be in flames. The police would be stretched to the limit as they struggle to cope with the unrest as well as clamping down on all of Britain's now illegal mosques. Islam would be driven underground, and those Muslims that were previously abhorred by the actions of those who committed atrocities in the name of Islam would be driven to the margins of society. When something is banned unjustly, the reaction of those affected is not to acquiesce to the new law, but to fight against it. Moderates would become hardliners overnight.
Then of course, Britain would become a major target for an attack by international Islamist terrorists. Every ululating nutjob from anywhere on earth would start making his way to Britain in order to attain martyrdom and the attendant 72 virgins upon completion of his mission. The population would live in a constant state of fear, wary of congregating in crowds in case it attracted the attention of a jihadist.
Basically, Britain would collapse as a society within a couple of weeks. And that would be a good thing, eh, David et al?