Lauren Booth becomes a Muslim

It should be emphasised that my own views on Palestine have absolutely nothing to do with religion. Indeed, my opinions on religion have been expressed on a number of occasions in this blog. Regarding Palestine what we have is an all too blatant example of unadulterated theft, persecution, ethnic cleansing and murder of one group of people by another group of people. It interests me not one iota that the people who are committing these crimes are Jews and that the majority of their victims are muslims. Moreover, while I have nothing against people worshiping pies in skies or a variation of the theme in the privacy of their homes, I would not like to live in a society where their rituals and dogma dictate the course of my day.

Therefore, when Lauren Booth, Tony Blair's sister-in-law, wonders why people are shocked at her becoming a Muslim, I can only tell her why I am slightly shocked and I am shocked because it is incredible that we have people still believing in some omnipotent being that is a law unto itself, that contends that a man had a conversation with an angel and that that same man rode up to heaven on a horse. Forgive me if I have missed a couple of the more "important" things attached to this, the Isamic, version of the great gobbledegook, which is, of course, no and no more absurd than the "people walking on water" version or variations thereof. However, enough really is enough and while, as a Marxist I can accept that our being in society determines our consciousness and with that at least understand those billions who have been so nurtured that they really, really believe this rubbish, it leaves me a little bit flabbergasted when someone from a completely different culture can actually go on  trip to Qom, have a little revelation of their own, and take shit like this on board. Has anyone told Lauren that should she decide to take a little trip to Lourdes and should she have another little revelation and decide to join the Vatican wing of the 'God Squad', it is the duty of every muslim to waste her. Not likely, perhaps, but I would have to assume that Lauren is at least susceptible to tall sorts of nonsense.

On the other hand, with her brother-in-law having now subscribed to the Roman Catholic version of the gobbledegook, it might just be that this is Lauren's way of sticking her fingers up at him. Now, if that is so, it is hardly necessary for her solidarity with Palestine and with those hundreds of thousands of people throughout the Middle East who have suffered because of people like her brother-in-law cannot be called into question. At this level at least there can be no doubt that she has made the right choice. Therefore, Lauren my advice to you would be don't fight the gobbledegook with your version of the same. For if you do, it will become difficult to tell all and sundry that this is not a religious conflict. That is what the Zionists in Jerusalem and Washington and their friends in London and elsewhere want. Don't let these people hide behind their religion, this is quite simply an ongoing crime against humanity, which is motivated by pure greed.  Or have we already forgotten about the crimes in South East Asia, South America and elsewhere.