Daphne Anson: Through A Vicar's Lens Obliquely: Stephen Sizer On "The Reasons Behind Insulting Islamic Sanctities"

Eretz Israel is our unforgettable historic homeland...The Jews who will it shall achieve their State...And whatever we attempt there for our own benefit will redound mightily and beneficially to the good of all mankind. (Theodor Herzl, DerJudenstaat, 1896)

We offer peace and amity to all the neighbouring states and their peoples, and invite them to cooperate with the independent Jewish nation for the common good of all. The State of Israel is ready to contribute its full share to the peaceful progress and development of the Middle East. (From Proclamation of the State of Israel, 5 Iyar 5708; 14 May 1948)

With a liberal democratic political system operating under the rule of law, a flourishing market economy producing technological innovation to the benefit of the wider world, and a population as educated and cultured as anywhere in Europe or North America, Israel is a normal Western country with a right to be treated as such in the community of nations.... For the global jihad, Israel may be the first objective. But it will not be the last. (Friends of Israel Initiative)

Tuesday, 23 October 2012

Through A Vicar's Lens Obliquely: Stephen Sizer On "The Reasons Behind Insulting Islamic Sanctities"

An oblique comment on a comment? ... h/t reader P.

Stephen Sizer, the Anglican vicar of Virginia Water in Surrey, who seemingly spends an inordinate amount of time denouncing Israel and Zionism, was recently interviewed by Fatemeh Nazari of the International Quran News Agency (IQNA), regarding the crude and regrettable film Innocence of Muslims that was made not by an Israeli as rumour first had it but by a Coptic Christian.

"It is clear that the producer of the film intended to incite Muslims and to cause controversy," he told his interviewer inter alia (see here).

"The motive of the producer was malicious, and reprehensible, and his actions have been repudiated by political and religious leaders, Christian and Muslim leaders in the United States and Europe. So we oppose what he has done totally....

Most secular people and most Christians I have met and spoken to about it are embarrassed by the film and they realized its purpose was destructive and they don’t agree with it. The film doesn't bear any resemblance to what we know of the Prophet’s life and therefore any sensible person will recognize that this film was malicious...."

Asked "Would you please elaborate on reason or reasons behind insulting Islamic sanctities?" he made this rather oblique reply:

"It is a complex question and there are number of factors. The reality is that the Western powers especially America have interests in the Middle East, and it’s related to the oil, and raw materials. Oil and its presence in the Middle East, is a significant factor. The creation of the state of Israel, and the power of Zionist lobby is clearly an important influence in American politics. Even today, Benjamin Netanyahu is campaigning through advertisement in America on behalf of Mitt Romney. He is clearly worried that Obama would be re-elected, and will institute measures that negatively will impact Israel. So we have a Zionist lobby, we have oil, and we have competing empires at work in the Middle East, and those must be taken into account."

American Muslims should campaign to have insults to their religion outlawed in the United States, he suggested.

"The problem with the law in America, and Europe to some extent, is that it does give people freedom of speech. If people are offended by the film, they have the right to bring a complaint to the police. For example Zionists were offended by some of the things I said about Israel and they complained to the police. If I had offended people’s religious opinions, then I could have been charged in Britain with a criminal act....

If I were a US citizen, I would seek to use my freedom , vote, and my ability to campaign, to ensure that these kinds of events do not take place. I would lobby and encourage Muslim groups in America to have these kinds of actions outlawed."

Incidentally, if you're wondering who Michèle Renouf mentioned in the screenshot above (which features a comment preparatory to this link made by reader Ian) is, here and here she is in action.

3 comments:

Ian23 October 2012 at 22:02
Khaled Abu Toameh's latest article:

Why Palestinians Want Israeli Citizenship by
http://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/3407/palestinians-israeli-citizenship
"Many of those who have applied for Israeli citizenship are are Christians from Jerusalem who are also afraid of ending up under the jurisdiction of the Palestinian Authority or Hamas.
Ironically, obtaining Israeli citizenship has become a way for Palestinians to ensure their social, economic, health and education rights in the country.
There is no denying that applying for Israeli citizenship, in defiance of PLO and Hamas warnings, is also a political statement on the part of the applicants. They are actually making clear that they would prefer to live under Israel than any Arab rule."
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Ian23 October 2012 at 22:17
FYI the second part of the BBC's "arab" Jews special is up
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00z57wp
ReplyDelete
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Daphne Anson24 October 2012 at 02:51
Thanks, Ian.
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https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/9685/britain-little-lies

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Islamophobia is a false allegation of prejudice which is deployed to silence rational criticism based on actual facts about attitudes and practices within the Islamic world.
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95% of the West Bank Arabs live in Areas A and B and their daily lives are under the total administration and control of the PLO since the Palestinian Authority was disbanded by Abbas in January 2013. The PLO has total security control in A and shares security control in B with Israel. Israel has total administrative and security control in C.
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Jews were given the legal right to settle in the West Bank under article 6 of the Mandate for Palestine and article 80 of the UN Charter. They did so for decades until they were driven out in 1947 and not able to return there until 1967.
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