New Beginnings through Truth and Reconciliation

The Islamic communities, amongst others, have the potential of turning recent attacks upon them by Bush, Blair & Co to their advantage by helping to turn into reality a dialogue focused on Truth and Reconciliation.

Here, in Scotland, with independence on the horizon it seems to me that our country could provide the perfect stage for such an initiative. Despite the likely attempt of outside forces to use such incidents as the Glasgow Bomb Attack as false flag incidents meant to cause internecine strife within our communities the aftermath of these attacks appear to be relatively short term, perhaps due to the way Muslim Asians have assimilated into local communities. If such an incident had taken place at Heathrow or in the USA it might have been a different story.

Does community cohesion in Scotland act as an antidote to Islamophobia and so are we any different to other areas of the British Isles where Asian communities have settled? In observing that the Glasgow incident was not caused by home-grown terrorists was First Minister Alex Salmond appealing not only to Scots community-mindedness but suggesting something more which, in a typical Scots manner, remained unsaid?

That is to say, was he inferring that these outward forces are out to divide and rule the communities in Scotland as they have in other parts of the world? That it is in fact the State itself which is causing false flag terrorism, the State which has no wish for Scotland to become free again?

Scotland has its own problems with southern rule and this often manifests in what appears to be anti-English sentiment when in fact its causes have their origins in the imperialism of the southern ruling classes.

Much of the anti-English sentiment, I believe, goes back to a lingering hurt felt by various communities of the manner in which they were treated in the past. This particularly in the Highlands where the events which took place at Culloden and after seem like only yesterday. Then there is the continuing sense of division between the Highlands and the Lowlands, all these factors leading to the division of Scotland and its communities into several smaller countries within the country of Scotland.

These old wounds and misunderstanding still need to be healed. But by causing fake terrorist incidents the British government should understand that far from dividing the population the final effect will be to cause even stronger resentment among Scots of the way the southern government persists in sabotaging their affairs.

At first glance, the divisions on this Island appear daunting. But if we are to search for a solution it seems to me that it must be found in the immediate problems that cause fear and division in our communities throughout Britain.

In Scotland, the old sectarianism between protestantism and catholicism are traditional. But what cynical politicians of the Blair/Bush ilk have been trying to do is to import a new sectarianism through their phony 'War on Terror' employing similar methods used by their agents to cause sectarian strife in Ireland. The late historian, Edward Thompson, in his book, Writing by Candlelight, warned that all the dirty tricks used by the British State to divide and rule through sectarian warfare in Ireland would return home to roost on the mainland of the UK. Clearly that is what has happened.

The target of this new attack has been Islam but through it the liberty of all communities. The intention, it seems, has been to stir up traditional feelings of white superiority and a fear of foreigners to serve the phony 'War on Terror' as well as to cause racial unrest in Scotland in the way sectarianism was used in Ireland when it suited the UK Government to do so. As this country moves towards independence we should be prepared for many more false-flag incidents to be imported here by the spooky denizens of the Thames Embankment.


Mordor in London: MI6 HQ, Thames Embankment

The only way that these state-sponsored attacks can be dealt with effectively is for the very communities that are being targeted by them to act fearlessly. That requires the development of grass-roots movements which must have the courage to deal with such attacks head-on by seeking the truth behind the cosmetics of government and media manipulation. Just as the Solidarity movement in the old Poland finally led to the collapse of the old Soviet-backed apparatchiks, a similar movement in the West could lead to the collapse of State-backed oppression. Here, it is the interests of people on both sides of the border in the British Isles that need to be served, not the interests of Atlanticist imperialism.

In order to focus people on common interests means also to have the courage to look at the misunderstandings and events in history which have led to disempowerment and deep wounds in our various communities. Only some kind of Truth and Reconciliation movement can do this and in this process the Muslim community, aided by non-Muslims at every level of society, including the various churches of all faiths can and must play a major part. For the various faiths to turn their backs on the present attack on the Muslim communities would be a repetition of what happened in Nazi Germany and the fascist countries. It will not only rebound on these very same churches but on the people as a whole. Ultimately everyone suffers.

Only a Truth and Reconciliation movement can hope to change history by replacing the repetition of past mistakes with a new beginning for the British Isles.