Muslims Should Fly the Union Jack

A Conservative MP, Philip Davies, has said that Muslims should fly the Union Jack over their mosques. His statement was part of an early-day motion that was congratulating Australian Muslims for adopting the idea and expressing the hope that it will become practice in Britain too. He said that such a move would, "show everyone that those in the Muslim community are very keen to integrate and positively contribute to good community relationships in the UK."

Muslim leaders have complained that they are being singled out and that this idea is not suitable.

The point that Mr Davies is trying to make is that the impression given by Muslims in this country is that they do not feel a part of Britain. This gives rise to suspicion. And, frankly, Muslims have not done enough to convince the British public that they are opposed to Islamic terrorism. Sure we get condemnations, but we get condemnations of the police as well. We get denial of the causes of Islamic terrorism. We get people insisting that suicide bombers are not real Muslims, and that Islam means peace.

Before the war on Iraq we had hundreds of thousands of people (most Muslim groups included) marching to the message, "Not in our name". When did we ever see Muslims doing the same thing about Islamic terrorism?

It isn't nice being singled out but the community is singled out already by their coreligionists here and abroad. For as long as the Muslim community refuses to take a strong and public stand against Islamic terrorism, and for as long as it refuses to give its full backing to the police and security services, it will remain under suspicion.