The shape of things to come....

[The Lone Gunman]

I have done the proud to be English time and time again but get slaughtered for it fo some reason every time.

My views on Muslims have been made clear often enough. Whatever you believe is right for you, I believe they are not nice peace loving people who just want to be allowed to get on with it.

Why do they not just have Radio Islam and broadcast the prayer on that? You liberals could tune in too if you felt it helped you culturaly.

The only thing that stops me voting BNP is their racist past, but one day a British Nationalist Party will drop the racism and just run on a "defending our own culture" and maybe then I will vote for them.

Well said Dodgy.

[Diver]

I would advocate burning down the damned minaret if I lived near it and had to put up with the racket.
Let's hope that planning refuse the app, or it will set a precedent for the rest of the country.

[Sockpuppet]

I share stuff on here about my personal life to engage in debate. Isn't that what this place is about?

I thought this forum was so that I could stalk the women and find me a wife? How was your lunch. It looked tasty...shame smell doesn't transmit through a telephoto lens.

Xeno - English & Proud

I live closer to the center of England that you so I am more English and therefore more proud.

So there.

Thats it, isn't it? Not enough English people are proud to be English...
The English have (to a foreigners eyes, and yeah I'm only Irish) no sense of national pride... it's a shame.

Thats becuase the national pub chains don't encourage us to get drunk of our arses on St. Georges day. You throw a "fete". Feck that. Lets just get nutted St. Paddys style.

[Cyberman]

I would advocate burning down the damned minaret if I lived near it and had to put up with the racket.
Let's hope that planning refuse the app, or it will set a precedent for the rest of the country.

I agree totally with those sentiments. I feel sorry for the people of historic Oxford that may have to put up with this additional noise pollution, also in an unintelligible foreign language, which will make them feel like they are in a Islamic state.
Lots of votes in this though for the Tories I feel, because so many English people have just had it with political correctness and gradual destruction of the British way of life by uncontrolled mass immigration, which now means that the second most common male baby's name born last year in Britain is now Mohammed.

[BrowneIssue]

Church of England is our particular breed of christianity.

Not any more. There are more Catholics than C of E now.

[Denny]

It is interesting how the word racist is used to replace debate. Whilst I believe it is entirely appropriate for the UK to embrace people of mixed religion there are some "red lines" that need enforcing:

Firstly that every citizen swears an oath of allegiance to our head of state, and if called upon to fight in a war they do so (they can still be free to disagree with the Iraq war)

One school curriculum for all

Learn English to the point where we do not need to subsidise translators (or they pay for them)

If they dont like Christianity being our national religion, live with it

If the laws of the land contradict their own religious beliefs (arranged marriage) then go and live somewhere where it is legal to practice your beliefs.

Like children, people need boundaries, and if muslims were forced to live their lives according to our laws and culture, and to respect our traditions then no one would mind if their church belted out calls to prayer.

And whilst so many of you guilt ridden, patronising little nobodies are so praising the muslim faith and extolling its virtues, maybe you can show us all an example of where floods of western immigrants are applying for patriality to a muslim country?

I don't agree with some of the things you say here. You make an assumption that Britishness is about caucasian anglo saxon traditions - the fish and chip eating footie supporter who drinks down the Dog and Duck for which everyone should be indoctrinated to qualify for a Britishness badge - when there is little evidence that this is so. Many commonwealth citizens are as British as you and I but they are not white. They originally emigrated to come here as British citizens and have since created a generation of non white British born citizens. So the true 'Britishness' of our culture is not white at all. It is intrinsic to the notion of mixed races and cultures.

With immigrants who settle here to live. There is a lot of adversity directed at the Islamic communities because of the fear of terrorism. Yet, it makes no sense to discriminate against them coming being here by forcing them to drink down the Dog and Duck and eat fish and chips because countless British citizens also emigrate to live abroad but have no intention or inclination to absorb the culture of the host countries they live in.

I have recently bought a flat in Bulgaria but don't actually intend nor am I expected by the authorities to eat Yoghurt everyday and learn fluent Bulgarian. So why should a Muslim (extremists excluded who should be booted out) have to learn and speak English to feel safe and welcome in this country? It makes no sense at all. To turn it on its head. If I were to live and work in an Islamic country, I would have to follow their culture in much the same way as you expect them to follow what you consider ours. Mainly because the laws of the land and intrinsically tied to the Islamic faith, unlike here where church and state are separate. But I would object to not being allowed to drive and wearing a headdress all day. Why should I become a de-facto Muslim, in other words when I don't wish to do this?

Also what claims do we really have to say we are a Christian country? We certainly have a Anglican and Catholic Christian heritage but we can hardly call ourselves a nation of churchgoers. Hardly anyone goes to church these days.

I think my point of view carries more rational weight than yours, but I do concede that Britishness is as much (not more) about the traditions you wish to impose on all who live here, as it is about tolerance of those who may not want to adopt the 'fish and chip' traditions for themselves but live alongside us keeping to their own cultural traditions as we probably would if we lived elsewhere.

It is clear that white British citizens are starting to feel threatened by the multi-cultural diversification that is gaining more media prominence than ever before. That's why the Oxford prayer call story raised so many hackles.

I see no reason at all why a call to prayer is necessary in Oxfordshire. Muslim prayer times are fixed five times per day so why the reminder? But lets not kid ourselves that the more familiar clanking of church bells are anything more than a farce in Britain today when the church pews are empty.

[Diver]

I think my point of view carries more rational weight than yours, but I do concede that Britishness is as much (not more) about the traditions you wish to impose on all who live here, as it is about tolerance of those who may not want to adopt the 'fish and chip' traditions for themselves but live alongside us keeping to their own cultural traditions as we probably would if we lived elsewhere.

Move to Pakistan or Iran and set up a Christian Church you mean. I can see it now, Bell ringing & Mass on a Sunday, quickly followed by the congregation Barbecue.

[Denny]

Move to Pakistan or Iran and set up a Christian Church you mean. I can see it now, Bell ringing & Mass on a Sunday, quickly followed by the congregation Barbecue.

...and young girls wearing belts for skirts, boobs on display, falling over drunk on a Friday night.

[AtW]

...and young girls wearing belts for skirts, boobs on display, falling over drunk on a Friday night.

And you are not that type?

[Spartacus]

Mainly because the laws of the land and intrinsically tied to the Islamic faith, unlike here where church and state are separate.

Not unlike here at all then really, where there is an official state religion presided over by the head of state, and whose officials sit in parliament by default.