James Connolly's angry nativist language

James Connolly, by  Mick O'Dea

Hate and racism is a universal trait - it isn't specifically a Protestant or unionist thing. Irish travellers in Southern Ireland were in Southern Ireland what Catholics were in Northern Ireland, second-class, and thet continue to be. As Willie Kealy said, “We [Irish] have always been a bit racist about Travellers.”

Is criticism of Islam islamophobic and racist?

On the racist question, Christopher Hitchens says no, and categorically so:

"You cannot be a racist by criticising the Islamic religion, by definition you cannot. There’s now a stupid term that’s trying to be imported into our culture, "islamophobia", as if to group it with racism in general. Nonsense. I won’t have it. I dislike Islam very much, just as I do all religions, and ive every tight to say that I think it’s an absurd and wicked belief."

Glenn Greenwald gives a slippery view to the contrary, saying that the label of racism for anti-muslim animus is a "rational view":

The forever problem of racism

Racism is nothing new but a perennial tension that exists as cycles of immigrants assimilate and they transition from foreigner to indigenous population. Yesterday's foreigner is today's native. Here's two examples: 

Evil May Day is the name of a riot which took place in 1517 as a protest against foreigners living in London.

The Gordon Riots of 1780 began as an anti-Catholic protest in London against the Papists Act of 1778, which intended to reduce official discrimination against British Catholics. The protest evolved into riots and looting.

Glenn Greenwald - Islamophobia in the United States is pervasive and intense

Scene after fire at the Islamic Society of Joplin, Missouri

Glenn Greenwald wrote in Salon magazine:

"In a trend largely ignored by the American media, hate crimes against American Muslims are at epidemic levels."

He continued:

"All of this reveals a broader truth: Islamophobia in the United States is pervasive and intense, and worse, is as ignored and tolerated as it is destructive The greatest harm from these incidents is not to the property they damage. It’s the climate of fear that is created for Muslims living in the United States. As I’ve written about before, it’s hard to put into words how palpable and paralyzing this fear is in American Muslim communities. It’s infuriating to behold: perfectly law-abiding citizens and legal residents feeling — rationally and accurately — that they are subjected to constant surveillance, monitoring, suspicion, denial of basic rights, hostility and worse solely because of their religion and ethnicity."

More:

"This happens because overt expression of Islamophobia is, far and away, the most accepted form of bigotry in mainstream American precincts. Now and then, certain expressions of it are so extreme as to embarrass mainstream circles — Peter King’s Congressional investigation into The Enemy Within or the Michele Bachmann attacks on Hillary Clinton’s Muslim aide — and are thus roundly condemend, but more often than not, they are perfectly acceptable."

More:

"And, as I wrote about yesterday, America’s foreign policy is, and for the last decade has been, driven by endless violence against Muslims in numerous predominantly Muslim countries, sending a message loudly and clearly to the American citizenry about the Real Enemy."

In full here.

Irish racism, Ctd

Newton Emerson wrote in the Irish Times of Saturday November 16 2013:

"The supposed republican principles of the anti-agreement 1916 Societies are somewhat underaxsmined by the language of their latest recruitment drive, which is replete with sectarian references to "planters", "colonialism" and "occupation"."

Newton Emerson continued, and asked a critical question:

"One of the mysteries of Irish politics is why, unlike in the rest of Europe, people who speak like this are not immediately recognised as ethnic fascists."

See my previous posts on Irish racism here and here.

Irish racism

@NotThatBigIan @brianjohnspencr You're both welcome to express your ethnic identity in Ireland as are our immigrants. But Irish is Irish :-)
— Ruaidri Ua Conchobai (@Irish_Gaels) November 5, 2013