Fig leaf objections
Imagine that a group of Jews wished to open a synagogue in Rotherham and were met with the response from local Muslim residents that they were not welcome because Rotherham was a Muslim area.
There would be outrage. But for some in our community, that is the message we should give to Muslims who have opened an Islamic Centre in Golders Green, which they regard as a ‘Jewish area’. Some of the objections are based on genuine issues such as parking and pollution, which should rightly be addressed by Barnet Council and the Islamic Centre.
But for others, ‘parking’ is a fig leaf: a respectable reason to cover up what is, simply, bigotry. There is no evidence to suggest that the group behind the Islamic Centre is in any way linked to terror or hate preaching. Neither the police, the security services or CST have any concerns about the group.
