I was there
Reader comment on item: My Debate with London Mayor Ken Livingstone

Submitted by James Kennedy (United Kingdom), Feb 3, 2007 at 14:29

On Saturday I was a delegate at Mayor Of London (Ken Livingstones) WORLD CIVILISATION or a CLASH OF CIVILISATION

This was a terrific event in my estimation over 3000 people attended ( two other sites were needed to hold the overflow). Daniel Pipes was superb speaking in his quiet and relaxed manner he answered every question put to him and elaborated his point. Quote: Pipes argues that ‘there is not so much a clash of civilisations as there is one of civilisations vs. barbarism.'

Ken Livingstone elaborated a rose-tinted perception of Multiculturism which was effortlessly demolished by both Pipes and Douglas Murray. who was also excellent.

Salma Yaqoob was Livingstone's co-debater and she totally compromised her position when she made references to subjects she had already defined in the press, foriegn policy etc, 9/11 being right in Muslims eyes. This time she was advocating the rights of gays, athiests and all those sweetness-and-light subjects that she had opposed previously.

Douglas Murray railed on her and asked Livingstone why he had not produced a better quality of speaker to debate with when their were more representative voices that could be heard than hers and Muhammad Abdul Bari, for example Ayaan Hirsi Ali.

This event was a denunciation of Multiculturism and of Muslims who defend IslamISM . It was (as a topic) indefensible, because the objectives of the Muslims have sidelined all other groups, and the audience included all sections of society; the Sikh next to me was very clearly a man with an opinion .

Inayat Bunglawala made a fool of himself asking a long protracted question on enlightenment values and modern society to which Daniel Pipes just smiled and Gavin Esler asked "Could you repeat that more concisely".

Part of the handout pack is relevant to your question Kens Vision:

This document supports minorities (called stakeholders) and is part of a long term programme to enshrine its objectives in law, minorities are Gays etc and the main weapon which is to be applied is higher fines, so a Catholic who offends a Gay can be bled white financially with fines over £100,000.

Daniel Pipes also alluded to why different left-wing groups sided with Muslim aspirations and he put that down to the same objectives were shared objectives so communists shared a desire to establish a caliphate, (bolshevism is similar to Islamic ideology) so Israel becomes their target too. Geoge Galloway wants to see a United States of Arabia.

I had a discussion with a reporter from the Daily Star (left wing) about YUSUF QARADAWI who quoted PiusVI as approving Hitler's Holocaust and the Invasion of Poland, he hoped to draw a comparison between Qaradawi Islam's Pope, and the Catholic Pope I did not let him make it!

Groups who were there with stalls and literature included Kurdish nationalist, Support Chavez, and a Christian/Muslim discussion group
Patrick Sookdeo Christian/Muslim discussion NEED TO BE WARY

At one point Livingstone reiterated his support for Qaradawi saying he was too important figure to ignore and a voice could be heard saying, "Theres blood on his hands Ken" and when i looked round I realized it came from me

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