A small part of me, left over from 30 years ago, is annoyed by the general trivialisation of something that was in its time and place, a legitimate expression of social despair, and hopelessness so abject as to be self-deconstructing. The article is trivialising. Most of the responses are trivialising. The latter, in particular.

A much larger part of me, despite the fact that I actually do see what you were trying to say, is APPALLED that you would equate a representative (howsoever marginal) of a Major World Religion, to a symbol of a decades-long (anti-)social philosophy!

That says nothing whatsoever about Islam, nor even about this character Choudhary, but it certainly gives me insight into YOUR bias!

I didn't study social justice and psychology for nothing. Islam is not my religion, but my mother studied the Sufis and Muslim poets of the Indian Subcontinent, and the wider world, and taught me much that she knew. I went on to study religions, and Religion, and have a great deal of respect for Islam.

I will not sit still, and hear even a very questionable Muslim, be equated to John Ryder (or whatever he calls himself now - who sold out the meaning of Punk, and was repudiated long ago). I see what you are trying to say, but.... So far, not so good.

@ Andrew

If you ever decide to have a bash at it, I'll be interested to see it.

@ Mark Dixon Reilly

Whatever you've been huffing, mate, it's interfering with your ability to make sense. You might want to stop, before your brain is melted.

It’s the idea that shock-value and a culpable media are both important elements of how both the Pistols/punk and Anjem Choudary/Al Muhajiroun have gone about business. They trade on their outlaw status and therein lies part of the appeal: We stand apart from society and sneer at it. We hate it; we hate everything it stands for. Destroy.

Also… having spoken with community workers who are involved with tackling extremism day-in, day-out, I think one can take the argument further and suggest that both Rotten and Choudary are now, to varying degrees, trading on past notorieties. Their relevance is not what it was. But the fury keeps coming. I will endeavour to flesh this out in a subsequent posting.

There’s no great truth uncovered here – some, indeed, may object that a post like this betrays a feeble moral relativism. I would contend that it’s a useful metaphor if we want to understand radical Islam as a social phenomena.

riiiiight.

A pathetic stunt at best.