"Religion is a hypothesis about the world: the hypothesis that things are the way they are, at least in part, because of supernatural entities or forces acting on the natural world. And there's no good reason to treat it any differently from any other hypothesis. Which includes pointing out its flaws and inconsistencies, asking its adherents to back it up with solid evidence, making jokes about it when it's just being silly, offering arguments and evidence for our own competing hypotheses...and trying to persuade people out of it if we think it's mistaken. It's persuasion. It's the marketplace of ideas. Why should religion get a free ride"

Greta Christina

Wednesday 13 January 2010

Going underground?

Home secretary Alan Johnson is to ban the group Islam4uk which recently called off its intention to protest in Wootton Bassett.

Now I don't like these people any more than the government does. Their aims are despicable, their language inflammatory and they seem to be taking advantage of free speech and U.K benefits to wage a hate campaign against the very society they live in. BUT whenever we proscribe organisations like this, the end result is to drive them out of plain sight, allowing them to continue underground under a new name.

Let them say what they like within the law. When individual members transgress prosecute and jail them if possible, but don't make a martyr of the organisation by banning it.

Alan Johnson has given these fundementalist idiots exactly what they want; attention and the oxygen of publicity.

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