Andrew Gilligan closes his eyes to rising Islamophobia

Andrew Gilligan – who seems to be keen to take on the mantle of being the UK’s leading ‘Islamist’-hunter – today rubbishes the idea that Islamophobia is on the increase in the UK and claims that “the available evidence simply does not support this.”

This will no doubt come as news to many UK Muslims who have seen an unprecedented rise in hostility towards themselves, their faith and their religious institutions in recent years. By way of example, I looked at the websites of ENGAGE and Islamophobia Watch who both try and collate evidence of anti-Muslim incidents based on local newspaper reports – reports that almost always do not appear in the national press – across the country. Here is a quick list of publicly reported anti-Muslim incidents since December 2010 (ie all within the last eight weeks):

1. Qur’an burnt in Carlisle town centre
 
2. Mosque in Hemel Hempstead is vandalised
 
3. Man charged with attacking Leicester mosque
 
4. Muslim cemetery in Leeds desecrated
 
5. Man who threatened to burn down Eccles mosque avoids jail
 
6. Five arrested for shouting abuse at Muslim mourners in Scunthorpe
 
7. Man threatens to set fire to Wrexham mosque
 
8. Fourth person arrested after attack on Kingston mosque
 
9. Four arrested after Stoke mosque set on fire

10. EDL to march on Luton

11. Fire at Southampton Halal shop treated as arson

So, just to summarise, the past few weeks have seen the Qur’an being publicly burnt in a major town centre, arson attacks and vandalism against mosques, a Muslim cemetery desecrated, and Muslim mourners being loudly abused by racists. And this is aside from the daily outpouring of anti-Muslim bilge we see in the Daily Express, Daily Mail etc. And last, but by no means least, has it entirely escaped Gilligan’s notice that a new far right group in the shape of the English Defence League is openly and vigorously Islamophobic and has been busy inciting trouble in numerous towns with large Muslim populations?

Is Gilligan utterly ignorant of the racists and Islamophobes who eagerly flock to his blogs and articles to read his nonsense about Islam and UK Muslims? Here are just a few supportive comments left on his latest blog by some of his readers:

cyan22: What do you expect? We the white indigenous British have no say whatsoever. Muslims are much more important to Cameron and Clegg. The Islamification of the UK is nearly complete with the help of these two traitors.

Stephen Gash: Islamophobia is the height of common sense.

What Andrew Gilligan describes is called “stealth jihad”

You can read how it is intended for Islam to take over the West, using the West’s own laws, in The Project which may be accessed online at SIOE’s website or Front Page magazine.

incensed: Andrew, you are a bright fellow old chap … however, you are missing a fundamental point in all of this … this group IS representative of the Muslim Community. It is because of this that we must begin preparations to deport all of them back to their point of origin … that or face the forthcoming civil war within our Balkanised Britain.

phil_mcg: Deportation time.

I have looked at his blog today waiting for him to criticise these morons but as of this evening there is no comment from him under his blog.  How disappointing. Is Gilligan really unaware of how his poorly researched articles provide wonderful fodder for the anti-Muslim bigotry of many of his readers?