Thursday, 19 July 2012

Melanie Philips Defends EDL? Islamophobic Ties?


Melanie Phillips is a Daily Mail (the ‘Daily Fail’) Spectator columnist, as well as an author. We, and many other blogs and websites have discovered she is rather sympathetic and defensive when it comes to the English Defence League (EDL). She has personally written,
Quote: “In any street altercation like this, the anti-Islamist demonstrators must be aggressors and those who confront them must be either their victims or heroic anti-fascists. 
Quote: “The Islamists have an incentive to provoke a violent reaction by white groups calling themselves names like English Defence League — simply in order to produce yet more demonisation of the anti-Islamists.
Not only does she defend the far-right group, she also seems to be inspiration to some of Europe’s leading Islamophobes, such as Pamela Geller (who we’ve covered in this blog before). Geller wrote that Melanie is,
Quote: “…a great intellect and truth teller, a woman I greatly admire
She also praised her book. But she wasn’t the only one who praised Melanie’s work...

The Norway bomber Anders Breivik mentioned Melanie Philips

Breivik cited Melanie’s work in his manifesto quite some times. Was he inspired by her?





A network of similar-thinking far-right individuals and groups?

It seems the Islamophobic and far-right network is connected. Worst of all, they all share similar views, especially as they stick up for eachother publicly (via online platforms) and express the same rhetoric.

Interestingly, the Center of American Progress highlighted an Islamophobia network in America. If we look at all these similar-thinking individuals, we may question whether the network is on an international scale too.

Click here to read the report.

Further reading:
  1. Melanie Phillips is inspiration behind Tea Party anti-Muslim leader
  2. Fear, Inc. The Roots of the Islamophobia Network in America

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