But we live in the UK and we treat our citizens according to our own culture, they're not concomitant on recipocal treatment.  Cormac Murphy O'Connor, the former Catholic Cardinal, was regularly causing political trouble over his religious beliefs.  In fact, he was promoting the politics of his boss in Italy for the UK.  He was also a second generation immigrant.  Should he have been deported to Ireland?  Denied health care and other potential benefits for his views?

In my opinion, the reason they want to march through WB has nothing to do with "peaceful protest". They picked that location as a deliberate act of provocation, to upset as many people as possible.
Maybe it's within the law, maybe it isn't. But it's undoubtedly mean-spirited. If their ultimate aim (as their website says) is to convert all of the UK to Islam and Sharia Law, then hurting the feelings of so many people probably won't bring them many new volunteers.
I never understand groups like this - no-one's telling them they can't observe whatever religion they like (unlike in certain Islamic states), so why can't they give the rest of us the same courtesy? And if it's really so terrible here, why don't they emigrate somewhere more suitable?

Maybe we should invite a contingent of ordinary citizens of Afghanistan over here, to explain to these people why they don't want the Taliban back in power, why they want the chance to vote for their own government, why girls' education is important to them, why they don't want to be beaten for having the wrong beard, or showing a bit of ankle, and why they are working WITH these foreign troops, who are risking their lives for the freedoms we here take for granted.

That's the main argument put forward at the time for being in Afghanistan: Terror camps exporting jihadi terrorists to other parts of the world.  Taleban pollution of Pakistan, a nuclear weapons power often at odds with India, also a nuclear weapons power, is a current argument put forward by people like Paddy Ashdown.  As you know, we have a sizeable population of Pakistani British from a particular area who are able to travel freely.  As for helping Hungrary, we were in no position to challenge the Soviet Union as we are in no position now to challenge North Korea or China.  It was a policy of containment through NATO and mutually assured destruction in the Cold War.  This is why power is of such importance, internationally.  You can be as sovereign as you like but if you have little or no usable power then you're at the whim of the other powers even in your own sovereign borders.  This is why all the major political parties in the UK accept, albeit reluctantly, some sort of EU membership.

I live there.  I go to the repatriations as do many. 

These fanatical ranters can go where they like and take their hate and intolerance with them.  Their views are abhorrent to me and right minded people alike.  They hide here plotting their dissent under the cloaks of religious righteousness and medieval superstition.  If they dont like it here they can go to some other place which is more relaxed and interested about their viewpoint. 

If they would like to let me know when they are turning up I will make a point of not being there and it would be nice if the film crews never turned up either.

Well said Oggbad
The dog that bites the hand that feeds it is a bad dog.

hey don't send him over here, we've enough on our hands!

The same could be said of Catholics trying to influence the Goods and Services Act and now the Equality Bill.  They should emigrate to Italy instead.  Also, perhaps gay people should have emigrated to Scandinavia if they wanted equality in the various arenas?  Or not, and do as any other special interest group does: argue for their interests.  This is what, say, the trades unions do.

Religious people think their morals are universal and apply to everyone, this is the trouble.  It's an argument for a constitutionally secular state: forcing people to keep their religious practices and obligations to themselves and their institutional members while adhering to the non-religious law and customs and practice of the land between others.  The flip side is that it also guarantees those religious freedoms in their own spheres of influence.  If we had a secular state then the law would always overrule Sharia criminal and common law and if muslims want to contract between themselves under Sharia law then, as now, so be it.

Spot on again. My whacky partner in crime.

I was given this link to youtube & I think its the same group that would like to be marching through WB

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Uu8U-EyCxY

You see, it's the Afghans having the right to vote that really galls them!

I don't think anyone, of whatever religion, has the right to put their beliefs before the laws of the state. A secular state is the way to go, IMO.

Another vote for secular state here

so the british government is giving him benefits while he lords it in a nice house, more fool them tell me porto where would you rather live, a hut in afhganistan or a nice paid for house in the uk? In answer .................... A House I have provided - not scrounged off taxpayers - which I myself pay for. Afghanistan ?? I really would love to say what I would do there !! We and the Yanks have pussy footed about too long.

Pussy footed by going to war with them?

the man behind all of this is actually a former lawyer so has probably made his own money. Can't say anything about other supporters obviously.

We are on the same wavelength most certainly Porto.

I see extremists.

Not on your Nellie

Perhaps we should have nuked them?  I'm sure some people would think that would solve everything 

Furtado?

Don't start bringing childish insults into this Lilibet.

We shouldn't have gone into Afghanistan in the first place and the sooner we get our troops out the better.

Growly - I watched that "20 best bits of celeb BB" prog the other night, and thought of you when they showed McCririck topless in the diary room, ranting about diet coke..

Oh I saw that - I found it rather arousing

lights up and relaxes with a Camel.

I'm in two minds about Afghanistan.  Why don't you think the UK should be there?  I doubt we should now but I think it may have been the right thing to go in there at the time.

If you remember, we went in with a number of other countries immediately after the 11/9 attacks to destroy the al Qaeda training camps and oust the protecting Taleban government.The infamous bin Laden was based there and was responsible for the US Embassy bombing some years before 11/9.  The USA had been trying to get him handed over by the Taleban.  We're there now fully legally under international law as part of ISAF which is a UN-sanctioned operation by NATO.  I suppose we're there because of our place in NATO which provides us mutual protection and assistance.

I think we ought to distinguish between Afghanistan and Iraq, the latter as far as I can see being an internationally illegal war and a disaster generally.

The terrain is impenetrable.The Russians have tried for years and the US. Bin Ladin is still at large there.It will just mean many more of our troops being killed for nothing.It was an idiotic thing to have entered into.What's wrong with the so called intelligence in this country.

(We thought that he was hiding in the Middlesbrough midfield)
It still fascinates me that the UK and USA supported him with arms and cash against the Russians.

Is bin Laden still there?  I thought that, if he is still alive, he's in the Waziristan area of Pakistan.  The intervention in Afghanistan has all but destroyed al Qaeda there..

Nah, he's been hiding in Dolly Partons bra.

I feel he is still in Afghanistan..They'll never get him there.Vast and impenetrable place.

That sounds like my mouses ear

One assumed that he was some sort of Emmanuel Goldstein type character.
(Just to keep us on topic like)

Bin Ladin is factual and evil,that's the problem.

I reckon he's dead anyway, myself.  He was hardly in good health when he was last photographed and those caves can be very inhospitable in winter you know. 

Not visited them recently,but I bet they are warmer than where we are at present.

OOps University Challenge,catch you later.

Why didn't the US authorities just ask Eminem how he managed to track Mr Laden down to appear in his Without Me video?

bin laden is in pak, so therefore the so called hunt the terorist thing in afgahnistan is a futile and ilegel war brought on muslims by 2 so called chtistian countries.
i watched a prog tonight on bbc world and peeps are supporting the taliban again coz between us and their stupid government the people are suffering from malnutrition