Reply from Chris Doyle
Dear Ms Nilknarf,
I think it is only fare that I expand the views that I gave in my interview with CNN that have made far more out of them than was stated.
Firstly I made it very clear that I felt that the whole story of the wardens was a mountain out of a molehill, and an overreaction.
I was then asked to explain why some people might take offence. In that context I explained that Arabs and Muslims do view the Crusades as a bloody and brutal aspect of our past and that this was not something that we, as English people, had any reason to be proud of. Far right parties are also heavily associated with this flag and this also may cause issues within a prison among non-white prisoners.
Here I made it clear I did not see the flag of St George as racist as the prison report had allegedly stated.
However I did say that there was little connection with St George as the Patron Saint of England. We do not celebrate the day in April much at all, in comparison to say, St Patrick in Ireland. I continued that I felt that there was perhaps a case for reviewing who out patron saint should be especially as St George had no connection to England, and that in so doing, we should chose a patron saint and symbols that would appeal to all sections of English society.
My prime reason for advocating change therefore is because of the lack of connection with the Saint.
Chris Doyle
Director
CAABU (Council for Arab-British Understanding)
1 Gough Square, London, EC4A 3DE
Tel: 020 7832 1310
Fax: 020 7832 1329
www.caabu.org
I've not had the chance to put together a reply yet, but it's coming.
posted by Nilk @ 6:49 AM
4 Comments:
Yes, I spend a lot of time worrying about my lack of connection to saints - any saint - and find myself having to constantly question the relevance of whichever saint is hanging about at any given time.
I tend also to worry a great deal about my part in the Crusades, and am working very hard on rewriting history, because that's a really sensible thing to do, and far more important than anything we do today. Future generations will be around to rewrite the stuff from today.
Kan I pik on him abowt hiz speleng an grammer?
:)
the whole reson St George's day as much as we used to because people like you make the every day english man/woman feel guitly about showing pride for the contry becaue it dosent include the immagrants who moved over here, it is the day that celibrates England so if any minorty dosent like a contrys people celibrating its contry then they shouldent of moved to that contry should they
Never heard such coplete nonsense.
Chris Doyle, you are a very dangerous man with your antagonistic rhetoric. There is as much 'grayness' about the so-called prophet Mohammed's connection with Islam as there is with the accepted association of St George with England.
As has always been the case though: it ALWAYS depends on WHAT you want to see.......or NOT see.....doesn't it?
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