The prevailing view of religion in the West can be characterised as one of condescending ignorance. Religion is something belonging to a primitive past. It is made up of superstitions, myths, and fanciful errors without any basis in truth or reality. To extend tolerance and civic freedom to religions is considered an act of indulgence--putting up with childish notions, ideas, and behaviour until those involved in a religion grow up and become true moderns--that is, materialistic, atheistic, and humanistic.
This world-view has two Achilles heels. The first is the failure to understand that Western secularism is indeed a religion in its own right. A religious anti-religion. It is a cosmology, and ultimate belief system, with no authentication outside of itself. This places Western secularism in a vulnerable position. It is founded on rationalism, but its rationalism cannot defend or authenticate its own position. It is ultimately, therefore, an irrational system that is viciously circular. It can collapse more quickly than Ukrainian Defence Forces in the Donetsk. Because its protagonists and defenders remain unaware of its vulnerability at this point, it constantly leaves itself open to ridicule and rejection--which, given the vaunting arrogance and pride of the secular humanist religion, hurts. That's the first Achilles heel.
The second is its befuddled, double-minded attitude towards other religions.
One the one hand, it condescendingly slurs all other religions as ignorance reified. On the other, it wants to maintain a condescending acceptance or tolerance of all religions, since some of the core commandments of secular humanism involve acceptance, tolerance, and respect of another's identity.
In the UK, it is the application of acceptance, tolerance and respect for another's identity which is landing the secularist establishment in deep water when it comes to Islam. That religion constantly orientates its compass needle toward intolerant militance. Secular humanism struggles to cope.
Conservative and consistent Muslims are actively working and conspiring to take control of certain government schools in the UK. Their objective is to transform the schools into Islamic schools, reflecting and applying Islamic social mores, rules, and cultural conventions. They also demand that the UK taxpayers fund their schools.
This has discombobulated the secular establishment. Firstly, no-one in his right mind would take his own religion that seriously. Such ignorance and prejudice is hard to fathom in our modern world. Who would believe such stuff in the twenty-first century. They can't be serious. Secondly, if they are serious, then they threatens the core commandments of secularism: tolerance, acceptance, and respect of another's identity. Secularists, in resisting, might be forced to avow Muslim beliefs and historical praxis as ignorant, backward, and benighted--which does not fit secularism's public self-narrative at all.
Thirdly, secularism fears the kind of confrontation where Islamic believers will insist their position is right, and will damn the secularist view, forcing secularism to defend its own ethics, standards, and practice--thereby exposing that it is an emperor without clothes. Its own belief systems lack foundation. Islam says that Female Genital Mutilation is a core practice of its religion, long authenticated by Islamic tradition. The secularists reject it. But--and here comes the killer-- the Islamists in turn reject the secularist position as the position of "infidels", and the secularists are left gasping, since beyond all the bluster and brouhaha, there is no objective or normative foundation for any morality, ethics, or values within secularism. By what objective or normative law might secularism condemn Female Genital Mutilation? Secularism struggles when its opponents adopt its own mien of condescending dismissiveness towards outsiders.
For those not yet up with the play, Birmingham schools are being infilatrated, then subjected to a conspiracy to effect an Islamic takeover. The authorities are struggling, and secular humanist ideology is faltering. It will be entertaining to watch it play out. Secular humanism is not in a strong position. It arrogant condescension has left it vulnerable and exposed.
Here is a summary of what's going down:
Head teachers raise 'serious concerns' over Islamic school take-over
Concern of 'Trojan Horse' plot spreads to three more state primaries as head teachers' leaders voice concerns for the first time over the Islamic infiltration at schools in Birmingham
The Telegraph
Monday 5th May, 2014
Schools across Britain are likely to have been targeted in an alleged Islamist plot to take over classrooms, head teachers have warned. The National Association of Head Teachers said it had found “concerted efforts” to infiltrate at least six schools in Birmingham. But the union also said that the scandal had “connections” to other large cities.
The Telegraph understands that there are growing concerns about the possible infiltration of schools in Bradford, Manchester and parts of east London.The acknowledgement from the professional body follows a series of exposés by The Telegraph which disclosed how a “Trojan Horse” plot in Birmingham had put schools under pressure illegally to segregate classrooms and change teaching to reflect radical Islamic beliefs.
On Friday, Ofsted confirmed that its investigation had spread from 18 to 21 schools in the city. The three additional schools are primaries. In a statement, the head teachers’ association said attempts had been made to “alter their character in line with the Islamic faith”, including sidelining parts of the curriculum and attempting to influence the appointment of Muslim staff.
Russell Hobby, its general secretary, warned that the action was unlikely to be “limited to Birmingham”, adding: “I think it is connected into the large cities around the country.” It is the first time a major teachers’ organisation has confirmed that such concerns exist. The plot involves the alleged takeover of secular state schools and the removal of secular head teachers by radical Muslim staff and governors.
Five non-Muslim heads have left their posts in a tiny area of the city over the past six months. Michael Gove, the Education Secretary, has ordered an inquiry into Birmingham schools. An inspection report by the Department for Education, leaked to The Telegraph, found that girls at Park View school were made to sit at the back of the class, GCSE syllabuses were “restricted to comply with a conservative Islamic teaching” and an extremist preacher was invited to speak to children.
Last week it emerged that Tahir Alam, the alleged ringleader of the plot and chairman of governors at Park View, wrote a detailed blueprint for the “Islamisation” of state schools in 2007.
Mr Alam has form. In a further article in The Telegraph, Andrew Gilligan reports:
The alleged ringleader of the Trojan Horse plot wrote a detailed blueprint for the radical “Islamisation” of secular state schools which closely resembles what appears to be happening in Birmingham. Tahir Alam, chairman of governors at Park View school in the city, called for “girls [to] be covered except for their hands and faces”, advocated gender segregation in some school activities, and attacked a “multicultural approach” to collective worship.The secularists are scrambling. They are faced with ardent Islamic believers who just don't accept secularism, but regard it as "kaffir". In their belief, Islam conveys a definite culture of personal, family, and community life. The community is sacrosanct; the individual is nothing, if he or she does not conform. The One drives out the Many. Therefore, Islamic faith is an authoritarian communal faith. Secularism is just one of the infidel things to be driven out.
He described how state schools must be changed to “take account of Muslim sensitivities and sensibilities with respect to sexual morality” with “girlfriend/boyfriend as well as homosexual relationships” treated as “not acceptable practices according to Islamic teachings”.The disclosure comes as teachers at Park View said a boy and a girl in their GCSE year have been suspended after being spotted holding hands, only weeks before they were due to take their exams. “They have done this to quite a few students in Year 11,” said one member of staff. “That they should continue with it, even with all the scrutiny we are under, just beggars belief.”
Secularism will likely prove to be a paper tiger. Without any ethical foundations and irrational at its root it will end up standing for nothing and falling for everything.
No comments:
Post a Comment