Originally posted by khimbar
Your comments are full of question-begging assertions, but there appears to be little of substance to corroborate them.
What do you base this on ?
Once again, you have made a big claim without backing it up with cold, hard facts.
Very clever.
I'm not arguing with myself.
But I'm just going to italicise my original quotes, and then reply to you with the basis for my original
comments. ''The MAC have only about 200 members.''
Their protests don't usually have more than 200 people, should I say. News reports will verify this, and in most cases they struggle to have 50 in attendance.
''The general reaction hasn't been, ''look at those backwardass, knuckle-dragging MAC members'', but more of an increase in hostility towards the 99.9% of British Muslims who don't belong to the MAC.''
Look at the comment sections of any media outlet reporting stories about the MAC.
In fact, search ATS, and you'll find more than one thread - including this one - which devolves from an OP surrounding this fringe group, into a general rant from some members against Muslims.
Note, in particular, the use of the words ''they'' and ''them'', and the lack of direct association which these terms have to the group in question.
''The same will have happened in Muslim communities with the EDL. They'll see hostile, aggressive demonstrations from white people, which will lead to a more isolationist response within their communities for protection, and more suspicion towards the vast majority of white English people who don't share the EDL views.''
That's human nature. It's a survival instinct to move closer to the group who you identify with in cases of conflict.
Safety in numbers provides security if you are threatened. This is all pretty basic stuff.
For a particularly relevant example, you could look into the history of Bengali street gangs in the East End of London, who were formed to protect themselves from frequent attacks by skinheads and the National Front in the 1970s. Or, for that matter, you could look through the countless other examples throughout history of oppressed or threatened people solidifying group identity in the face of adversity.
''Islamophobia does occur in the Hindu and Sikh communities as well, so it's not surprising that there are a few Asians who join the group.''
I suggest you research the history of India.
''It's because most minorities are descended from less than affluent immigrants, and consequently tend to reside in some of the more high-crime areas of British cities.''
As much as I'd love to post a thorough history of each minority group's immigration history, I haven't got the time, nor the inclination to do so - especially as I would just be stating the obvious.
But, in summary:
The post-WWII influx of immigrants from the ex-colonies were largely housed in council accommodation in the less affluent areas of cities, and they generally filled low-wage jobs.
Their children and grandchildren, unless they have managed to gain financial success, still populate these areas in large numbers.
You don't think that the large percentage of black people living in Lambeth or Walthamstow are the descendants of affluent West Indian immigrants, do you ?
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