Tag: Hatred

A conversation with God

I’m not exactly religious. Actually I’ve been an atheist for just over half my life but I found myself wondering just what this God bloke might have to say about allowing so much evil into the world. What would it be like to ask Him? Would He actually explain Himself? I wonder…

Me: Our Father, who art in Heaven

God: You called?

Me: Why do you allow so much hatred into the world?

God: It’s good for humans to have something to believe in – a just cause to keep them occupied.

Me: Are you saying that things like racism, religious hatred and oppressing vulnerable people are just causes?

God: Not at all, my son. Opposing hatred is the just cause I was thinking of.

Me: I see. So what about Christians who hate because they’re defending a Christian land? Haters like Tommy Robinson, Katie Hopkins and Nigel Farage?

God: Hmmm. Good question. Hang on a tic – I’ll ask my lad, Jesus.

Me: Twiddles thumbs expectantly for a bit

God: He said He never knew them. Never even heard of them in fact. They don’t come to visit on Sundays and He’s pretty sure that they don’t know too much about Him either.

ME: So they’re not really Christians? Is that what you’re saying?

God: Only God knows who is true and who is not.

Me: But you are God.

God: Yes but I’m not telling you!

Me: Well, what can you tell me?

God: I can tell you that Haters often hang on to religion’s shirt tails. They think it gives them an air of respectability but in reality it just shows them up as hypocrites.

Me: Is that what Allah thinks about all those Muslim terrorists? Will you ask Him for me?

God: Don’t need to. I’m Allah. Allah is the Arabic word for God.

Me: But Middle Eastern Christians don’t call you Allah.

God: They bloody do!

Me: Did you swear then, God?

God: Just a little bit. Anyway – it’s in the Bible.

Me: So what about Muslim terrorists?

God: Islamist terrorists are no more Muslim than Anders Breivik is Christian.

Me: That’s good to hear but how can I be sure?

God: Easy. Go and visit your Muslim neighbours. Get to know them. You’ll see that they want peace just as much as you do.

Me: What if they try to kill me?

God: There are 1.7 billion Muslims on the planet right now. If they all wanted you dead I don’t think there’s be any doubt about it, do you? You’ll be fine. Trust me. I’m God.

A little history: The battle of Cable Street

The East End of London has long been a melting pot. My own experience of working within several East London boroughs has been both fascinating and positive. The chance to meet, work with, talk to and train colleagues from so many different cultural, religious, national and racial backgrounds has been a boon and an education. I’ve met and learned from so many people whose experiences and approach to life has only ever enhanced my own.

Just as it is today, the East End was home to a diverse, multicultural community and then. Just as now, outsiders with a political axe to grind saw the area as a target to stir up trouble.

On Sunday October 4th 1936 the British Union of Fascists, a group of Nazi sympathisers led by Oswald Moseley planned a march into the East End in opposition to the area’s Jewish residents. The BUF drew its members from all over the UK, expecting to overwhelm the locals with their numbers. Moseley had pulled out all the stops to get up to 5,000 fascists to descend upon London on that fateful afternoon. You can watch a newsreel from the day here.

Then, as now the locals were having none of it. Fascists, racists and religious hate-mongers have never been welcome in Britain and no matter how hard they try they never manage to outnumber the opposition when they descend upon a town, city or Borough.

The Battle of Cable Street was a major turning point in the fortunes of the paramilitarised, uniformed British Union of Fascists. This was the day that ordinary British people showed them exactly what they thought of racism, Nazism and Fascism and it wasn’t pretty.

Today’s uniformed (and uninformed) fascists might do well to take notice.

The impact that Cable Street had on the British Anti-Fascist movement is perhaps best illustrated in this song ‘The ghosts of Cable Street’, written by ‘The men they couldn’t hang’ in 1986 to celebrate the battle’s 50th anniversary. Like Cable Street’s legacy itself, the song has stood the test of time. Click here to play the video.