Jim Fitzpatrick and the Muslim Wedding

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So we hear that the Farming Minister, Jim Fitzpatrick has walked out of an Islamic Wedding at the London Muslim Centre because he didn't agree with the policy of seperating the sexes during part of the ceremony. I'm not sure if he has raised the issue or other parties have flagged it up but he seems hell-bent on distancing himself from the Islamic community in his constituency of Poplar and Canning Town, a community which represents perhaps 30% of the voters.

I had been cobbling together a blog post about this but then reading the press release from Respect I thought to hell with it, they've put it so much better! So why not just post it!

Friday 14th August 2009

George Galloway today condemned Government Food Minister Jim Fitzpatrick's attack on a Muslim wedding as a "disgusting insult, cynically motivated by political opportunism".

Fitzpatrick issued a press release this week to the East London Advertiser announcing he had refused to enter a Muslim wedding party at the London Muslim Centre to which he had been invited because his wife was asked to go to the section for women only.

"Fitzpatrick must have been a to a hundred segregated weddings, not least in the West of Scotland," said Galloway. "Only now has he decided to gratuitously insult the family and friends of the bride and groom in the cheap pursuit of Islamophobic votes and as part of the vicious faction fight going on in the local Labour Party."

Galloway continued: "It is for the bride and groom and their respective families to determine the wedding arrangements in line with their religious commitments and customs. If you don't want to go to a Muslim wedding, don't go. But don't turn up and then carry out a wholly artificial politically motivated stunt.

"I am simply amazed and astounded by this behaviour by a government minister who represents a very substantial Muslim minority in his constituency. I honestly did not think anyone could stoop so low, but Fitzpatrick really has got down in the gutter in his increasingly desperate attempt to hold on to his parliamentary seat.

"And Fitzpatrick has singled out the Islamic Forum of Europe for attack because they have been demonised by the faction Fitzpatrick is supporting in the civil war raging in the Tower Hamlets Labour Party. The (Labour) council leader Lutfur Rahman and his close Muslim colleagues on the council have all been condemned as members of the IFE by their opponents within the Labour Party who are motivated more by career ambitions than any principled difference.

"It is clear that Fitzpatrick's actions and subsequent statement are not only a desperate and, I am sure, unsuccessful ploy to try to shore up his collapsing support in his constituency but also part of that fight which is tearing the Labour Party apart. I have no doubt this will backfire very badly on him and he will thoroughly deserve it."

Listening to a debate on this issue on LBC Radio this morning there didn't seem to be much going on in the minister's favour. Certainly some of the suggestions that he' spandering to the right wing by seemingly highlighting the 'islamisation' of society deserve some consideration.

We have a Minister with a large muslim minority in his constituency, a large muslim minority we should add. We also have a government, of which he is a Minister that in the eyes of the muslim community is invading and killing muslims in other countries.

Is this event the beginning of the government changing tack and realising that the traditional support they have recieved from muslims in Britain could be coming to an end, and they have to redefine the demographic of their support through the demonisation of the British Islamic community.

Hmm.

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