Islam extremists have received such a large amount of bad press that anti-Muslim feelings have become almost normal and accepted in society. According to the chairwoman of Britain's Conservative Party, Lady Warsi, this new trend had “crossed the threshold of middle-class respectability” in the UK, and it was commonplace to view Muslims as dangerous and suspicious.
In her speech against what she calls Islamophobia, given recently at Leicester University, Warsi stirs up emotions in her audience by describing the helpless and dejected feelings Muslims are currently experiencing due to “the patronizing , superficial way faith is discussed in certain quarters, including the media.” She continues to strengthen her argument with real, everyday examples. A boss who hires a Muslim worker may tell his other employees: “not to worry, he's only 'fairly' Muslim.” In another case, when speaking about their neighbors, a family might say: “they're Muslim, but they're not too bad.” A woman who wears a burqa in public are often described by others as either “oppressed” or “threatening.”
Her comments have sparked a debate across Great Britain between Muslim councils and anti-Muslim groups such as the English Defence League, which has a reputation for its violent protests.
Ibrahim Mogra, a prominent figure at the Muslim Council of Britain, agrees with Warsi and supports her main ideas with his own rhetoric. He logically connects the current situation to events of the past, such as the Holocaust. He relates the racism faced by Muslims to the persecution of Jews, reminding his audience about that time period when “the drip, drip of hatred and bigotry by the Nazis led to them being described as rates and murdered in a horrible way.” He then appeals to the audience's emotions and conscience. "This situation is nowhere near that but there is always a beginning for everything. I hope this is not the beginning of something that could be horrendous. We said 'never again' and we have to nip this in the bud."
The full article can be found at http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jan/20/muslim-leaders-lady-warsi-islamophobia?INTCMP=SRCH
I really like how the Lady Warsi uses the term "Islamophobia" to describe the attitudes of some Western towards Muslims. By using "Islamophobia", she is intentionally pointing out the irrationality of these fears. In her beliefs, there is no logical reason to be afraid of the Muslim religion as a whole just because of a few radical extremists.
ReplyDeleteI like how the speaker supported her argument with everyday examples that real people can relate to. It shows that she knows her audience and appealing to their emotions, I think, definitely works in this situation. Providing such statements makes the entire argument more believable and should get the audience thinking about this serious issue.
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