Geoffrey Alderman has posted up the most miserable of conspiracy theories today at CIF.
The regular Jewish Chronicle columnist has averred that Lord Ahmed and Baroness Warsi rushed over to Sudan to help Gillian Gibbons in a plot which was hatched by the Sudanese government in concert with the FCO. Omar Al-Bashir couldn't be seen handing over the school teacher to Britain, so suggested the Muslim peers be seen to mediate in order for them to save face, with the House of Lords members were willing patsies in an episode that would leave them as heroes. In a twist of coordinated "media management" Muslims look great again.
Alderman seems uncomfortable with Muslims being the rescuers as opposed to only persecutors. He is suspicious of the affair now being seen as "very kindly Muslim response to a very kindly Muslim approach". Al-Bashir may have seen an out from the situation with the presence of the Muslim peers. Undoubtedly he would not have pardoned her had there been no benefit for him. This doesn't mean that Gillian Gibbons should have been left in prison. By mentioning how well she was being treated and the fact she was going to be out Monday coming, this is exactly what Alderman is getting at though.
His cynical eye overlooks that this Muslim-on-Muslim "kindliness" doesn't extend to the Muslim-on-Muslim extreme violence in Darfur. This is not a regime that cares too much about coreligionists and this is not something they would have thought up.
At the same time, the Express asks in a leader entitled "British Muslims must show us some loyalty" whether Nazir Ahmed and Sayeeda Warsi will be flying out to help the latest British hostages in Iraq.
Memories are short. British Muslims have already risked their lives in such attempts. Anas Altikriti was instrumental in the release of Norman Kember. Daud Abdullah and Musharraf Hussain tried in vain to save Ken Bigley. Ziad Aloul was about to fly to Palestine for Kate Burton just as she was released. If the Foreign Office advice was that it would help, Muslims here would be ready to do so again.
What this shows is the possibility of a really positive engagement between Muslims in this country and the Muslim world. That may just be a good thing in today's world of clashing civilisations. Up till now it's about releasing hostages and prisoners, but this could potentially be about so much more.
I think there should be a real debate about his now. The narrative about UK Muslims and the Muslim world at the moment consists of calling on us to forget about the ummah and pledge fealty to Queen with the two things portrayed as mutually exclusive. Quite often the same people whenever something does arise abroad still expect us to condemn it, or in the case of the Express above, put our lives on the line to help.
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