I asked @RoryStewartUK about the prevalence of anti-Muslim bigotry in modern politics and his reply stunned me. What I wanted to talk about was the way ignorance and hatred (recent examples: describing Muslims praying in public as “an act of domination”, political parties trying to ban the burqa) was now not just harming British Muslims, but also the national interest. How a lack of understanding about martyrdom or Persian nationalism connects to a war that might cause a global depression. I thought he might talk about Karbala, and we did eventually, but he began with a precise and confronting statement: much of what we’re dealing with is, quite simply, racism. And not only that, but the weaponisation of that racism, and its political uses, which he described as “profoundly disturbing.” He talked about arguing with Tommy Robinson. Speculated about possible endpoints for a politics that don’t incorporate dignity and love. And drew a parallel to anti-Semitism in the 1930s. If you haven’t listened to the latest episode of The Exchange yet, you really need to. Listen in bio.
