CATHOLICS are still banned, by Act of Parliament, from succeeding to the throne.
And the language of the law does this in stark, deprecating terms. It talks of "papists" and the "popish religion".
That was back in 1700. There were good arguments at the time for this approach. England had spent a century and a half in turmoil about what its state religion should be - Catholic or Protestant. A violent bloody Civil War was still fresh in the memory.
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The conflicts were not just about theology. They were about power. England was scared stiff about the enemy without, and the enemy within. The Spanish, the French, the ever rebellious Celtic (and Catholic) "fringes" gave the government nightmares.
So the term "Catholic" became in many people's eyes a short hand for "enemy". And, however law-abiding and loyal to the Crown you may in reality have been, you suffered grievous discrimination.
The legal discrimination against Catholics was not removed until the middle of the nineteenth century; but the practical discrimination went on and there is still a complex debate about whether and how the Act of Settlement should be amended or repealed.
So the many thousands of people of the Catholic faith are likely to have an acute idea of being subject to mass discrimination because of their faith.
Well, let's swap "Catholic", for "Muslim". I don't believe there is mass discrimination against people of the Muslim faith in the UK, and yes, there are some who hold extremist views.
But imagine what it feels like to be a law-abiding British citizen - as the majority of people of the Muslim faith are - and wake up to headlines in a national newspapers "British Muslims Are Too Extreme", and then see a picture of your mosque blazened across the paper. I'd be mighty upset.
It's unjust in two linked respects.
First, the reports are a travesty of what happened when Dr Barham Salih came to Blackburn during the last election.
He was there to support me. He wanted to be able to say, from his perspective as an Iraqi, that he believed we had got it right, not wrong, on the Iraq war. Of course, plenty disagreed with both of us - white as well as Asian, and that didn't make them extremists.
There were some people vocal in their extreme views - most from out of town.
Like me Dr Saleh didn't like their views, or methods, and said so, not least because they were seeking to intimidate my constituents, many of whom also did not like the Iraq war.
He attended two meetings with me, but neither anywhere near the Millham Street mosque, whose photograph was aligned with the story in one report. The great irony is that mosque is moderate on any basis. It was the one which invited Condoleezza Rice to visit.
Second, there's the appalling guilt-by-association tone of the story - just like the way in the past all Catholics were tarred with the brush that they could not be trusted to be proper British citizens.
Even during the worst of the IRA's atrocities the newspapers did not blacken the name of all Catholics for the crimes of the terrorists. It's time to stop doing this with those of another faith.
Well Jack..
To my knowledge the catholic churches of Ulster were never involved in preaching hate. So there was never any factual link between the catholic church and IRA, although there was (and is) more than enough religious discrimination to go round.
When we can say with absolute certainty that mosques are not preaching hatred and discord Abu-Hamsa then we can separate islam with its extremist brothers.
The 99.99999% of honest muslims have a responsibility to their own faith to root the criminal murderers and crooked violence inciters.
Well Jack..
To my knowledge the catholic churches of Ulster were never involved in preaching hate. So there was never any factual link between the catholic church and IRA, although there was (and is) more than enough religious discrimination to go round.
When we can say with absolute certainty that mosques are not preaching hatred and discord Abu-Hamsa then we can separate islam with its extremist brothers.
The 99.99999% of honest muslims have a responsibility to their own faith to root the criminal murderers and crooked violence inciters.
Posted by: whitejedi, bburn on 8:36pm Thu 24 Jan 08
yep just like 9 11 a lovely heart felt message from allah to the whole word, were not terrorists and exstreamists just nice gentle muslims who like to kill people for faith..
sicko!!![bold]bold[/bold]
yep just like 9 11 a lovely heart felt message from allah to the whole word, were not terrorists and exstreamists just nice gentle muslims who like to kill people for faith..
Typical of Mr Straw. Mr Straw has come out openly to back that mosque because its the mosque of his pal, who has influence in the aisn community and some how during elections seems to get the community to vote for Straw.
Mr Straw if you are so bothered about the media bias, with all your influence go to the national papers and complain that muslims are being demonised? Instead of writing in the LET
Typical of Mr Straw. Mr Straw has come out openly to back that mosque because its the mosque of his pal, who has influence in the aisn community and some how during elections seems to get the community to vote for Straw.
Mr Straw if you are so bothered about the media bias, with all your influence go to the national papers and complain that muslims are being demonised? Instead of writing in the LET
Posted by: nostradamous, Blackburn on 2:06pm Fri 25 Jan 08
Why on earth are you linking the IRA WITH THE ROMAN CATHOLIC FAITH,the IRA had politicall causes to fight for..i.e a united Ireland and not against the protestant church or any other church for that matter,you are such a misguided individual and look at the position you have achieved,it just shows that it is not what you know, but who you know..
Why on earth are you linking the IRA WITH THE ROMAN CATHOLIC FAITH,the IRA had politicall causes to fight for..i.e a united Ireland and not against the protestant church or any other church for that matter,you are such a misguided individual and look at the position you have achieved,it just shows that it is not what you know, but who you know..
Isn't Jack Straw the same man who spent years as Foreign Secretary appeasing the fundamentalist and medieval regime in Iran?
While he cuddled up to the Ayatollahs on his many trips to Iran, the Ayatollahs were busy hanging children in public, stoning women to death, amputating limbs, gouging out eyes etc. etc.
By the way, one of the national newspapers once reported that people in Iran know Jack Straw as "Ayatollah Straw".
Isn't Jack Straw the same man who spent years as Foreign Secretary appeasing the fundamentalist and medieval regime in Iran?
While he cuddled up to the Ayatollahs on his many trips to Iran, the Ayatollahs were busy hanging children in public, stoning women to death, amputating limbs, gouging out eyes etc. etc.
By the way, one of the national newspapers once reported that people in Iran know Jack Straw as "Ayatollah Straw".
Posted by: Andrea, Blackburn on 10:37pm Wed 30 Jan 08
Naomi, you forgot to mention that the Iranian regime with which Jack Straw was so cosy as FS, is the same regime that trains, arms and funds terrorists responsible for the deaths of British troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The Iranian regime mass produces improvised explosive devices for export to Iraq and Afghanistan.
How can he live with himself knowing that he legitimised such a regime? He should also know that with his appalling record as FS, no-one is really interested in what he has to say.
Naomi, you forgot to mention that the Iranian regime with which Jack Straw was so cosy as FS, is the same regime that trains, arms and funds terrorists responsible for the deaths of British troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The Iranian regime mass produces improvised explosive devices for export to Iraq and Afghanistan.
How can he live with himself knowing that he legitimised such a regime? He should also know that with his appalling record as FS, no-one is really interested in what he has to say.
Jack straw is a traitor to his people and a child murderer of many a child abroad and if his goverment like to fight lets see him on the front line taking a few bullets to his thick skull no he is a coward of the first degree
Jack straw is a traitor to his people and a child murderer of many a child abroad and if his goverment like to fight lets see him on the front line taking a few bullets to his thick skull no he is a coward of the first degree
i am catholic straw white catholic how can you talk of the same as us and the muslims our religion was here well before a traitor and turncoat like you.It suits you when it pleases you to changer sides at any given moment to further your sad life the qiucker you are voted out of goverment the qiucker innocent children will be spared thier lifes.you are like a jew who bleats on about the holocaust and yet here they are doing to the palestines as cwas done to them hypocrites and liars are you all
i am catholic straw white catholic how can you talk of the same as us and the muslims our religion was here well before a traitor and turncoat like you.It suits you when it pleases you to changer sides at any given moment to further your sad life the qiucker you are voted out of goverment the qiucker innocent children will be spared thier lifes.you are like a jew who bleats on about the holocaust and yet here they are doing to the palestines as cwas done to them hypocrites and liars are you all
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