Peter Harris says he and his supporters “absolutely reject” a pending retrospective planning application which would allow a shop in Hewett Road, Dagenham to become a tuition centre with community welfare activities.What sort..?
It has been running in this capacity under the Dagenham Ummah Welfare Trust since 2009.Ah.
“What I’m against is that a shop will be lost to a community centre or place of worship,” Mr Harris said. “I think the council should be doing more and should have a more robust process to protect local businesses.”
The controversy comes just a fortnight after Mr Harris demanded a judicial review over an application to convert a former post office in Dagenham to a mosque.Good luck with that, Mr Harris. I think we all know how much success you'll have. As Fahrenheit 211 pointed out, we've indeed not heard the last of this case, but I'll be astonished if you win in the end.
A spokesman for the trust denied that it was being used as a place of worship. “DUWT does not intend to use the premises as a place of worship, accordingly, the planning application is only for a community and tuition centre,” he added.Good intentions, eh?
“In the recent past, some users of the centre have utilised the premises for Friday prayers, however we are working with the council on it and, under their guidance, use of the premises for Friday prayers is being discontinued.”So....you were using it.
How long are you going to discontinue it? Until the glare of publicity is off you, I'll bet...
Poor Britain, poor Europe...
ReplyDeleteGildas.
People who are deeply religious will protect their faith often with zealous fanaticism tempered only by their clergy. It depends on the ambitions of the clergy and how enlightened they are how that fanaticism is channelled. Generally the agenda comprises of accumulating wealth, protecting political patronage especially the ruling elite and to protect the church from dissent and the congregation from backsliding. To do so the clergy has to apply authoritarian methods as reason and logic will not be effective. It will not be effective because that is what will in the end end the dominance of the church and it's clergy.
ReplyDeleteThe Christian church for centuries was the dominant force and dictated society's thoughts and actions. Gradually the growth of rational thought and knowledge brought realisation that religious doctrine was not the sole arbiter of how we live our lives. Secularism overtook Christian thinking so religious fundamentalists and zealots became a minority group in Christian societies. All religions have gone through this process or on the same path. It depends on which part of the path they are on and to the dogma that they adhere to as to how they treat their believers and non believers. Most whatever part of the path they are on are relatively innocuous except a few. Islam is one. Christianity for a period was another. Islam has a long way to go before it arrives anywhere near the end of it's journey. Tolerating it is the only practical thing we can do. Allowing it to influence us or welcome Muslims into our midst as friends that we do at our peril. Influence us is their ambition. Friends they are not. It is a hard fact that Islam is a religion that is out of time and place and so can only contaminate the world because it's ideology is regressive and does nothing to enhance modern day life.
"Poor Britain, poor Europe..."
ReplyDeleteA poor future indeed...
"It depends on the ambitions of the clergy and how enlightened they are how that fanaticism is channelled. "
It's often said that what Islam needs is a reformation.