All it takes to generate a racist myth is a tiny grain of truth, a willingness to lie and the internet.
I have an elderly acquaintance who enjoys forwarding the latest jokes that appear in his in-box. Sometimes they are a bit risque. They are normally harmless fun. I don't forward them further but I must admit that I fell off my seat when I read the one about the military man who hadn't made love since 1955.
Last week however he forwarded me something a little more sinister. It was accompanied by the picture here of a poppy posted on the doors of a mosque in Posrtmouth.
The message read:
"One is seriously wondering who's country we live in!!!
"In May 2010 Tohseef Shah spray painted a British War Memorial with "islam will dominate osama is coming" he was fined £50 & walked free from court. In November 2010, Emdadur Choudhury burned a Poppy during the 2mins silence. He too was given a fine, £50 and walked free from court. Today, 2 men have been sentenced to 12 months in prison for spray painting a Poppy on a mosque. Pass this on if you think it’s a bloody disgrace"
I was curious about this story. I could find no reference to a Tohseef Shah on the internet. However one Emdadur Choudhury had been fined for burning poppies.
But I was curious about the story from Portsmouth. Personally I take great exception to anyone reducing the poppy to a piece of graffiti but I suspect that will be lost on the people who did it.
But two one year sentences for graffiti?
For the last week I've been watching and waiting for this story to appear in the mainstream media. Its the sort of story that sections of the media absolutely love. But nothing has appeared to corroborate it. Because it is a lie.
There was however some trouble outside the Portsmouth mosque during which Blaise Silvestor was arrested for violence. But there's no corroboration for the claim that two men have been jailed for spay painting a poppy. But this story will just get passed on and believed. |
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2 comments:
I am the Portsmouth stringer for the 'Jewish Chronicle'. Here is my report of the incident that I filed at the time:
On Friday [13 November 2010] a large poppy had been spray-painted on the wall of Portsmouth’s prominent Jami mosque (formerly a cinema owned by a local Jewish
businessman).
On Saturday a small group gathered outside the mosque to protest against the burning of a poppy by a London Islamist group unconnected with Jami or Portsmouth.
This group swelled to around 100 after the end of the Portsmouth v Doncaster football match at Fratton Park, only a few yards from the mosque.
A counter-protest was organised by Portsmouth Unite Against Fascism.
Missiles were thrown, but the very heavy police presence ensured that no serious damage or injuries ensued. One person was arrested and later bailed.
Here is link to the BBC report:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-11751268
I may be mistaken, but to my knowledge whoever sprayed the poppy has never been caught, let alone prosecuted or sentenced.
Thanks Ric, much appreciated - as usual - and I've taken the liberty of copying and pasting your comment onto the UK Methodist facebook page.
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