The Staggers

The New Statesman’s rolling politics blog

Educating the English Defence League

The EDL’s demonstration in Luton undermines efforts by British Muslims to tackle terrorism and extremism.

By Robert Lambert Published 05 February 2011 3:16

When members and supporters of the English Defence League demonstrate in Luton on Saturday they will display their genuine but misplaced fears about Islam as a source of violence, extremism and disloyalty to the UK. Sadly, and merely because they wear distinctive "Islamic" clothing, some of Luton's most loyal and effective opponents of terrorism, extremism and subversion will be targets of EDL hatred and violent intimidation. Not only is this grossly unjust, but it also increases the risk of further violence and intimidation of Muslims in Luton – a town the EDL calls the hub of militant Islam in the UK. Shortly after an earlier EDL demonstration in the town, the Luton Islamic Centre was firebombed and several Muslims were attacked in the street. Of particular concern was the fact that the attackers used an accelerant that increased the petrol bomb's capacity to cause harm and damage.

Even in the face of such provocation, the managers at the Luton Islamic Centre have been prepared to engage with their violent opponents and to provide education about Islam and Muslims to help disabuse young local EDL supporters of their misplaced fears. Interestingly, these brave Luton Muslims compare the leadership of the EDL with al-Muhajiroun, a fringe extremist Muslim group that uses many names including Islam 4 The UK to stir up hatred and provide the EDL with an erroneous image of Islam. Each extremist group, they say from local knowledge, feeds off the other. To demonstrate their point, the mosque managers led a successful campaign to challenge al-Muhajiroun on the streets of Luton. This robust action served to weaken al-Muhajiorun's street credibility among young local Muslims and also to educate the wider local community about the nature of Islam.

This is an important lesson in street education I have seen repeated in Brixton and Finsbury Park. Like the Luton Islamic Centre, Brixton Mosque for many years has been at the forefront of self-generated local action challenging and tackling fringe Muslim groups like al-Muhajiroun as well as the more serious but equally fringe support for al-Qaeda-inspired terrorism. To illustrate, the Brixton Muslims sent Anjem Choudhury, leader of al-Muhajiroun, and his supporters packing when they sought to promote hatred and disharmony in the local community in 2009. Most crucially, a crowd of young Muslims watched as the hitherto impressive and assured Choudhury was out-argued by his Brixton hosts before being despatched back to Ilford with his humiliated supporters in tow.

No doubt a hard core of EDL members would resist any serious attempts to educate them about Islam, but experience suggests that many young EDL supporters might be reassured about Islam and their Muslim neighbours if their concerns were taken seriously, and if they saw some of their role models begin to demonstrate support for Muslims and Islam.

If young supporters of the EDL were educated in much the same way as many racists have been educated in the past two decades, then we might begin to see a significant reduction in EDL membership and to the threat the organisation poses to public safety and social cohesion. That at least is the view of a group of Luton Town football supporters, who told me that the success of campaigns such as Let's Kick Racism Out of Football might be repeated to the detriment of EDL membership if they embraced the challenge of Islamophobia with the same enthusiasm.

For the main part, that means informal education in the classroom, in workplaces, at sporting events and at social gatherings. Role models are widely understood to have played critical roles in reducing racism in football, and that may well be significant, given the extent to which EDL draws support from football fans.

The recent BBC Newsnight report on the English Defence League perfectly illustrated this affinity with football culture and highlighted the urgent need to educate EDL supporters about the religion of Islam. In Luton, Nottingham and Birmingham, both new and established EDL members are shown expressing fears about Islam as a source of terrorism, extremism, subversion, barbarity and criminal sexual exploitation of women. If Islam was genuinely the kind of threat to England that these EDL members perceive it to be, then their anger and determination to oppose it might be justified. The fact that Islam is not the threat that the EDL and many citizens genuinely believe it to be should therefore be the basis of urgent remedial action at both the national and local level.

Given the alarming growth of EDL membership and support, there is an onus on all of us with knowledge of Islam to help educate EDL members and supporters about Islam and Muslims. Or perhaps it would be more accurate to suggest that the EDL needs re-educating about Islam. The Newsnight report itself and Jeremy Paxman's subsequent interview with the EDL leader Stephen Lennon (aka "Tommy Robinson") illustrate how EDL organisers have spent much of the past two years learning about Islam. Unfortunately, they have drawn their new knowledge from a vast array of inaccurate, Islamophobic literature that has become widespread during the last decade.

While Paxman did his best to point out the deficiencies in EDL understanding of Islam, it became sufficiently clear that Lennon's personal experience in his home town of Luton required knowledge about Islam and Muslims that Paxman does not possess. Instead, these lessons are best provided by Muslims in Luton, Brixton, Finsbury Park and the many other towns and communities where such problems arise.

Dr Robert Lambert is co-director of the European Muslim Research Centre (EMRC) at the University of Exeter. He was previously head of the Muslim Contact Unit (MCU) in the Metropolitan Police.

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Tags: Violence islamism luton Islam

More from Robert Lambert

65 comments

Sat, 2011-02-05 08:46 — margaretwilson

QUESTION:.....What is a racist, fascist, nazi right wing bigot?

ANSWER:........Any working class white person who is winning and argument with a middle class 'liberal'.

Sun, 2011-02-06 03:07 — jedi master (not verified)

Bob Lambert, for those ignorant bigots, has studied Islam much more than most Muslims in this country. He also has a greater understanding than most born Muslims. If any member or supporter of EDL who believes he/she is civilized enough even in the slightest, then meet this challenge and come find out what you really need to know about Islam before you continue calling it a barbaric evil religion. I think you are the same, if not worse than Anjem Chaudry who also has little understanding of Islam and hasn't the stamina, just like the EDL leadership, to sit down with people who are civilised and educated enough to teach them about Islam properly.. Any takers??

Sun, 2011-02-06 03:14 — Mahmood Khan (not verified)

As a Brtish Muslim I have always challenged the vitrol espoused by groups such as Al-Muhajiroun, however this tiny group does not deserve the coverage it gets and it is certainly not fair to respondto its fringe viewpoints by organising a 21st century Britsh fascist movement that insults and denigrates the religious figures of 2 million British Muslims...I can safely sa that the rise of the EDL has made me a fearful father and worried citizen...I guess some of you think that is a good thing.

Mon, 2011-02-07 11:39 — Dee (not verified)

I just wonder how many of you who are quick to defend have actually read the koran? It is widely available in English, in bookshops, over the internet etc. It is supposed to be the word of allah. In it there is mention that women are only worth half a man. That Christians and Jews should not be trusted. It is full of hate, mysogyny and violence.

Sat, 2011-02-05 09:43 — Kay (not verified)

I am writing here not to make an all-encompassing statement, but to try and bridge this 'gap' I see emerging between the classes. It is all too 'us and them' for my liking!

As a white working class woman I DO understand what is it like to come from an town with levels of disadvantage in many areas and where there are real divides in the community, so I cannot be accused of having my "head in the sand" when I say I fail to see how the major problems we encounter as working class citizens lie soley (if at all) with Islam? Or even extremism within the religion?

Firstly, surely the 'working class' includes people who follow the Islamic religion? Of course, as with ANY religion there are fundamentalist groups, however it is these groups the Islamic leaders of Luton have shown they want to confront.

In addition, how do these Islamic laws affect our chances of getting better jobs? So that we may be financially stable enough to educate our children in a way that they may not suffer the hardships we have? Isn't that more important than worrying about a book that most people following the EDL seem to be taking far too literally, whereas the vast majority (huge emphasis on the 'vast majority') of Muslims don't.

I don't pretend to know the Qur'an verse by verse, but I doubt those who claim to have read it looked for anything other than the negatives to back up their (in my opinion) rather skewed views of Islam. Every religion has its flaws! Only recently we saw gay rights activist David Kato murdered http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-12295718. It is no secret that Christian preachers travel to Uganda to spread the word of homosexuality as a punishable sin. Is this not inciting hatred?

Holding EDL rallies in places such as Luton are truly hypocritical. Just as the EDL members believe their children should be 'protected' from Islam, shouldn't the same rights be applied to thousands of innocent Muslim families? To have the right to protect their children from some uncompromising and even violent followers of the EDL (that are inevitable within such a big group)? As is true of any group, you cannot control everyone, isn't it ironic that it is the small violent minority the EDL constantly try to shift accountability of that are comparable to the small minority of violent muslims?

Tue, 2011-02-08 09:35 — Dee (not verified)

@Lou
The Bible is NOT the direct word of God and it was updated with the New Testament whereas the koran is supposed to be the direct word of god. Further, we have separation of church and state (ie our laws are not bound by religion) whereas with islam it is one and the same.
Hope that clears it up for you :)

Sat, 2011-02-05 09:48 — Robert Lambert (not verified)

Proud Kafir - much time and effort goes into re-educating Amjem Choudary's young supporters. I am arguing that the same time and effort should go into re-educating EDL supporters. Both extremisms feed off each other and need to be taken equally seriously.

Sun, 2011-02-06 04:58 — jedi master (not verified)

And by the way. I suppose you don't know or even remember those Brave Muslims who 'volunteered' to fight and died for the freedom & democracy of Britain in its greatest hour of need when they were denied their own freedom. Those brave and mostly very young men sacrificed their lives for every Briton irrespective of creed or religion.. Why is it that EDL and their likes, fail to recognise & respect this FACT.. Perhaps its just not convenient right now eyy! Oh and you would have also forgotten when Muslims were again called upon to help rebuild Britain when manpower was low after the war.. Perhaps you find it difficult to be respectful, which tells me you can't be really British thru & thru..

Mon, 2011-02-07 11:49 — Lou (not verified)

The Torah and The Bible's OT are also full of hate, violence, even child abuse and that's supposed to be the word of God too. The trick is not to demonise one religion without looking at what others say too. I won't list passages here, it's on another link somewhere, but you can find equally as many distasteful 'words of God' in them. Let's not be partial eh.

Sat, 2011-02-05 10:33 — John Essex (not verified)

First of all, I'm not middle class or liberal, and I'm against religious extremism.

As a young white working class male in the 70s I was just as fearful of my country being changed by alien cultures as any EDL member today.

I became the youngest branch officer in the National Front, and was later Deputy Regional Chairman of another party which was more hardline National Socialist.

What changed that boy into the man I am today? Education (in general terms), the challenging of my views by people who were prepared to engage me in dialogue, and meeting ever larger numbers of black people who didn't fit my narrow racist stereotypes.

The initiatives described and proposed in this article are absolutely the way forward.

Sat, 2011-02-05 10:42 — Sikh Edl (not verified)

There can be no compromise with a religion whose 'prophet' clearly said apostates should be murdered. Its not us infidels who have a 'us and them' outlook - its the muslims .The UK is the 'Dar al-harb' according to muslims - the abode of war where infidels live and where war can be waged legitimately against non-believers.

Sat, 2011-02-12 07:16 — Margaret Thatcher's rent boy (not verified)

Can anyone have a division? Is there a Mormon short-haired terrier owners'division?
What about creating a Muslim extremist division? That way you could waste their time and stop them from preaching to others.
Just trying to think out of the box.

Sat, 2011-02-05 11:41 — Robert Lambert (not verified)

Judging by report in this morning's Guardian David Cameron also needs re-educating about Islam:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2011/feb/05/david-cameron-muslim-extr...

Shame he didn't heed Peter Oborne's good advice in Spectator:

http://www.spectator.co.uk/essays/6650288/whereandx2019s-the-divide.thtml

Sat, 2011-02-05 11:48 — Mohammed Amin

I strongly support Robert Lambert's call for more education about Islam. I had trouble finding a short introduction to Islam for non-Muslims that was not written from a missionary perspective. Accordingly I wrote one myself which is at:
http://www.mohammedamin.com/Community_issues/Islam-brief-introduction.html

It can be shared freely provided it is not amended.

Tue, 2011-02-08 11:06 — Carlin Fan #1 (not verified)

As someone born and raised in Luton, may I just say the majority of people in the town couldn't care less about the EDL, The UAF or The MDL. All 3 groups are riddled with morons fighting for flawed causes. Here is an idea for all of you. Instead of fighting for outdated wastes of time like national pride & religious pride or jumping on the latest liberal bandwagon, go out and work hard, make time to read and learn so that you, your families and your friends can become decent people and bring something good to the world. If not, do the rest of us a favour and let the Police corden you all off like good little sheep again and direct you towards a nice sharp cliff, so those of us who are rooted in reality can get on with our lives.

Sat, 2011-02-05 12:09 — Livers (not verified)

There's no smoke without fire. Fundamentalism is a real problem. The EDL are a violent bunch of morons. But the problem is not their pigmy-intellects. It is the exploitation of our liberal values by fundamentalists.

For once, I am with Scameron - liberals need to flex their muscles and stand up to anyone that does not respect equality, freedom and the rule of law. By flexing muscles I mean removing funding or state suopport and not allowing them a public provided platform.

Sun, 2011-02-06 11:13 — Marc (not verified)

Its quite surprising that the claim of EDL is one of working class people. Many working class people are educated enough to know that Islam is not a threat but some Muslims have behaved in a way that is not conducive for cohesion. It would be foolish to blame the whole white population for sex gangs drugs murder etc when our prisons are full of white people doing these acts. Rather we need to blame the few that have committed these things and educate the others.
I live near Brixton and have witnessed the great work that the Muslim community has done to protect the public from Terrorism and crime from the few Muslims and Christians that have perpetrated these things. They have held conferences and were the first group even before the police who warned publicaly of Muslim extremist coming to England from other countries and spreading their evil views. We as working class and middle class people owe it to our upbringing to use our education in finding a correct understanding for the issues at hand not just blaming people because they were different which unfortunately was our previous heritage.

Sat, 2011-02-05 12:17 — Yakoub (not verified)

I get pretty sick of hearing the "white working class inner city experience" excuse for EDL anti-Muslim racism, as much as I am the claim that such people are merely "ill-informed". The EDL may recruit a few genuinely misinformed young men into their ranks, but in truth, the EDL top dogs are a bunch of right-wing hatemongers adept at rounding up the usual rabble to promote their sad fascist cause. They don't need debating with - that would give them credibility. They need marginalising, and for people to see more of what 99% of the EDL mob really are: drunken racist thugs.

Sun, 2011-02-06 11:18 — Marc (not verified)

I forgot to mention regarding Robert Lambert. I have looked into his background and found that he has over 20 years counter terrorist experience and was honored by our Queen for this and the work that he has done with the Muslim community in tackling extremism. he even committed his son into this task. If we cant trust his judgment over the Leader of the EDL and his supporters then we all need to seriously look at how we determine things and come to understandings.

Sun, 2011-02-06 11:59 — Livers (not verified)

@jedimaster

I am genuinely curious to know what you are referring to? My history is poor but I thought Iran/Iraq were neutral during WW2? Or are you referring to another nation? Malaysia? Singapore?

I am not trying to make a point, just trying to fill a gap in my knowledge here!

Sat, 2011-02-05 12:31 — Dave Catleugh (not verified)

Open your eyes Robert. Islam is the largest current threat to our way of life (yes there are such things as a English/Irish/Scottish/Welsh cultures), and our modern, secular democray. All men may be equal, but all cultures are not, ours is far superior to those of Islamic countries.

Sat, 2011-02-05 12:43 — Lou (not verified)

You can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink. In my expeience, EDL supporters don't want educating, they aren't interested in truth or facts, they get all the 'facts' they need from the Sun, Daily Heil, Daily Express - it's not about facts for the EDL it's about a justification for anti Muslim extremism on their part.

Sat, 2011-02-05 13:39 — greenie (not verified)

i met nazis in Germany in the eighties, they were well educated, multi lingual,politically sophisticated people, our nazis are just the usual ignorant chavs, a breed of stupidity unique to britain

Sun, 2011-02-06 14:49 — jedi master (not verified)

Re Livers. India and what is now also Pakistan.

Sun, 2011-02-06 15:11 — Alistair Cole (not verified)

Interestingly a Muslim extremist on the BBC'c Big Questions programme said that football should be banned....this is a bit like going to India and saying curry should be banned or going to Jamaica and saying that music should be banned :))

Mon, 2011-02-07 16:58 — Looking For Peace (not verified)

Can we not offer EDL supporters the information they need to see how they themselves are manipulated by various political and other ideologies/power plays ? And can we not support those brave people who challenge the extremists within their midst ?

Sat, 2011-02-05 16:53 — Tee (not verified)

Lmao..
Wow how can you blame Muslims for crimes that people of all race commit.. o.O
Uneduated EDL members..
If they were educated well they would know that Islam stands for peace..
And Muslim extremists don't represent Islam at all!

Sat, 2011-02-05 19:43 — stuart (not verified)

tee.. you say the islamo fascists dont represent your community really?? when was the last time you held demonstrations against these racists and fascist fellow muslims i ask you,,the muslim communitys silence on this is deafeaning,,,i say the majority of muslims in public will condemm islamic extremism,but behind closed doors they will be cheering on al qaeda and the taliban fellow muslimss in there global fight against the infidels and kaffirs which the imams scorn at friday prayers in every mosque up and down the lenth of the uk..i think that the coded message david cameron was pointing out in his speech in munich today..islam is like a tree with many branches that is all part of one body,,quoted osama bin laden after 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Sun, 2011-02-06 21:56 — Batavian (not verified)

I am from Holland and i fully support the EDL, the true racists are those who disrespect gay, women and minorties: the EDL stand for those people.

Sun, 2011-02-06 22:03 — Bamber Gasmask (not verified)

Religion - a fairy tale for kids from 2 to 62.

Sat, 2011-02-05 20:09 — Lulwhat (not verified)

Muslims hide behind Islamaphobia just as Jews hide behind anti-Semitism. They are not our friends but our enemies, I think the left need to pull their heads out their arses and see who their real enemies are.

Sun, 2011-02-06 22:40 — Des Demona (not verified)

You know... if they cut off the oxygen supply of media coverage from the nut job extremists on either side then we'd all get along a lot better.
I saw that dickhead Tommy Robinson on Newsnight and I saw some Islamist nutter on The Big Question this morning.
Neither of them in any way represent the views of the majority.

Sat, 2011-02-05 20:10 — Lou (not verified)

Stuart,

Psychic now, can see through walls? How can you presume to know what Muslim people condone behind closed doors? Stick to the facts rather than make spurious assumptions.

Around 60 people have died in the UK at the hands of extremists of the Islamic faith. Britain and the US however have killed thousands and thousands of innocent Muslims pre and post 9/11.

When you murder and maim tens of thousands of innocent Muslims, without just cause mostly, then should we really be surprised at a them wanting to kill and maim us back? You only have to look at 9/11 to see that is exactly the kind of approach we adopted - nineteen Saudis killed under 4,000 people so we, the West, are therefore justified in killing thousands upon thousands of Muslim people -not in Saudi as that doesn't suit us politically or economically - but in Iraq and Afghanistan.

When the West stops killing innocent Muslims, then the majority of extremists of the Islamic persuasion will stop killing Westerners.

Sun, 2011-02-06 22:46 — snark snark snark (not verified)

Bob Lambert = Lord Haw Haw. Bent cop meets Muslim Brotherhood sinecure in sunny Devon.

Sat, 2011-02-05 20:28 — Kay (not verified)

"but behind closed doors they will be cheering on al qaeda"?

You have absolutely no base on which to make such generalisations, please stop with the sensationalism!

How many of the EDL see themselves as Christian? How many of them rally against fundamentalist Christian groups such as 'the family' http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/belief/2011/feb/03/secretive-chr...? I suspect none, so does this mean that beind closed doors MOST of the Christians in the EDL are active members of such an organisation? OF COURSE NOT!

Can you see how ridiculous you sound?

Totally agree with Lou! In addition, on the surface extremists may be tainting Islam by using it to justify their acts, but these attacks are all too often political.

Wed, 2011-02-09 19:42 — Philip Smeeton (not verified)

All Muslims are required by Mohammed to fight for the spread of Islam. Terrorism and extremism are the recommended methods.whoever fighteth on Allah’s path, whether he be slain or conquer, we will in the end give him a great reward.- They desire that ye should be infidels as they are infidels, and that ye should be alike. Take therefore none of them for friends, till they have fled their homes for the cause of Allah. If they turn back, then seize them, and slay them wherever ye find them; but take none of them as friends or helpers,- Verily, the infidels are your undoubted enemies!-- Fight then against them till strife be at an end, and the religion be all of it Allah’s.-

Thu, 2011-02-10 20:04 — Teresa (not verified)

I agree with all what the EDL are saying thats its about being against Muslims. So would you let black people join. I think it would be good to see black people in your supporters. It would then show they were not racist. I m sure a lot of Christian and atheist black people that are second generation in this country, would totally agree with what you are doing. Also wouldnt be so fearful of joining you.No one except a Muslim would want sharia law.

Wed, 2011-03-02 05:04 — m (not verified)

slay the enemies of ISRAEL

Wed, 2011-03-02 05:12 — m (not verified)

to no end islam doesa not stand for peace.it stands for DOMINATION...
when the world is dominated by these so called peace loving individuals and only then will the peace that they speak of happen,,so as far as i'm concerned they can go shag a billy goat..i hear some of them like that....slay the enemies of ISRAEL

Thu, 2011-02-10 21:33 — Homer simpson (not verified)

Teresa there are black members of the edl.
They have a sikh, jewish, and a gay division too.
Look on their forum, have a read and there are photos of black members on some posts.

Mon, 2011-02-07 06:50 — Rodders (not verified)

An idea from Sevenoaks... perhaps we could direct the working class plus those Islamists chaps spoiling for a fight over to East Anglia to battle it out? I suppose Essex would do just as nicely.

Sat, 2011-02-05 03:47 — dillon (not verified)

what a load of left wing middle class illinformed diatribe from you robert lambert,you dont understand the problems of the working class white communitys who support the edl because you live in your little middle class bubble in leafy surburbia well away from the problems we have to face with the muslim communitys in areas where we are under siege not only from the hate momgers and the threat of terrorist attacks but now from this epidemic of racist muslim paedophile rings grooming underage white working class children for sexual abuse and worse in are communitys,,that is the reality of life in are communitys that the likes of you dont have to face..it is muslims that need education about how to behave in are communitys not the other way around,,and your article is just pointless left wing dribble that may please your clique of liberal appeasers of radical islam but have no meaning to working class people who have just about had enough of this backward religion of bigots and haters that has been imposed on us..

Sat, 2011-02-05 03:50 — Gerry Fable (not verified)

The EDL is a neo-con Zionist group. Its aim is to ferment an intifada between Muslims and non-Muslims in towns and cities up and down the country. Their backer is a Zionist businessman called Alan Lake. America intends to attack Iran with nuclear weapons on behalf of Israel, and Israel will use the war on Iran as cover for genocide and ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in Gaza. For more details paste this link:http://vnnforum.com/showthread.php?t=121905

Sat, 2011-02-05 03:56 — James Irvine (not verified)

EDL is preventing Islam from Dominating Britain simple as and Iran need to be attacked and soon Gerry.

Sat, 2011-02-05 04:26 — Rob (not verified)

I understand the concerns of the local community, especially when local girls are being groomed by gangs, however the only way to stop this behaviour is by educating all boys that this behaviour is unacceptable, percieved religion has nothing to do with it, this is a gender issue, not a race or religious issue.

Sat, 2011-02-05 04:32 — Charles (not verified)

I'm quite happy with Salafi groups tackling Al-Muhajirun - as long as us taxpayers don't have to pay for it!

Sat, 2011-02-05 06:21 — Andrew (not verified)

Islam is a huge threat to the stability of the UK, take a look at the problems in the Lebanon or the Balkans for a vision of the horrific future we have created for our children!

If Robert Lambert is naive enough to believe some silly patronising football campaign will brush this all under the carpet he's in for a nasty shock!

Sun, 2011-02-06 00:57 — David Lindsay

Policing costs are met by the home team, aren't they? So, those in Luton this afternoon should be met by the English Defence League. After all, they are the home team. Aren't they?

http://davidaslindsay.blogspot.com

Sat, 2011-02-05 07:05 — Momminator (not verified)

Mr. Lambert is entirely ignorant of the religion of Islam, and the evil of Sharia law that, among many vile practices, finds raping white girls to be an acceptable, nay encouraged, religious duty. Get a Koran Lambert. You're a first-rate dummy in this class. We don't hate muslims, we hate the totalitarian destruction of freedom that the Koran advocates. It is the polar opposite of the Biblical ethics and values that made Britain a world leader, and the Brits of the past an enlightened and humanitarian country. Thanks to you and your ilk, that may no longer be the case. Shame on you for your lies. Who is bribing you?

Sat, 2011-02-05 07:12 — Proud Kafir (not verified)

MOMINATOR is correct 100%! Islam is not in the UK to do anything but TAKE IT OVER FOR ISLAM..The EDL is well versed on ISLAM and THEY ARE CORRECT to protect their country..anyone who does not want to protect the UK should go live in an ISLAMIC country a while...

Look up Al-Taqiyya and see the Moslems for what they are...

BTW..Why are you not writing about the HUMAN PARASITE Anjem Choudary who is living off your WELFARE SYSTEM in the UK while spreading SHARIA LAW all day long... THAT IS WHO YOU NEED TO EDUCATE ON THE WAYS OF BRITAIN!