Plague on both their houses.

Correspondence from Hope Not Hate.

Dear John,

Last week I wrote a blog that criticised the English Defence League and Muslims Against Crusades. I watched these two groups of extremists oppose each other on a west London street at 11am last Thursday. Their rival protests were timed to coincide with the moment the country remembered those who had died in past wars.

I was struck by the hatred shown by both groups. I felt that both thrived on the presence of each other. Although they came from opposing traditions and viewpoints there was a certain symbiotic relationship between the two. I felt they both needed the other to justify their own existence. I criticised both groups equally.

Was I right to criticise both groups? Read my blog and let me know what you think.
http://action.hopenothate.org.uk/page/ signup/plague-on-both-your-houses

Extremism only creates fear and hatred. Worse, extremism breeds extremism. As I wrote in my blog: "For the MAC the presence and activities of the EDL prove how white British society is the enemy. For the EDL the Islamist extremists are proof of the violent nature of Islam. They are two sides of the same coin of hate."

The Islamist extremists no more represent the Muslim community than do the violent racists of the EDL speak for every white person in Britain, but that didn't deter the tabloid press from its sensationalist reporting. Their lurid headlines vilified an entire religion and only whipped up more misunderstanding and hatred and, as a consequence, extremism.

Does extremism breed extremism? Let me know your views.
http://action.hopenothate.org.uk/page/signup/plague-on-both-your-houses

I wrote the blog because I felt it was time to take a stand. It is time to speak out against those who preach hate, from whichever quarter it comes. I believe it is also time to stop the lurid headlines that demonise communities, deepen divisions and only increase extremism.

I concluded by saying it was "important to criticise both groups publicly. Criticising one group but remaining silent about another leads, correctly, to charges of hypocrisy and double standards. Only by criticising the actions of tiny extremist groups can we say with any validity that neither speaks for the wider communities and religions they claim to represent."

I'm interested in your views and I would like your opinion about what we should do next.

Thanks

Nick