A superb book!When I read this book,what I thought was:This is what happens when you appease some1 hellbent on world domination and subjugation of others!!1938 was a huge mistake,of appeasing Hitler by the same feckless British leadership,Brits and rest of the world paid a heavy price for this grave mistake!It happened again!Europeans have become complacent post WW2,partly due to revulsion of European Nationalist politics which resulted in the Holocaust and due to America becoming a world superpower,protecting Europe at her expanse and rendering Europeans careless about their own fate.This resulted in unwritten code between European (and esp UK/France)intelligence,political establishment and Islamic terrorists of all kind,that Islamists wont unleash demons of their Jihad on the UK as long as UK officials,hedonistic,selfish and stupid turned blind eyes on them!The result:Londonistan!The way things turned out esp in recent times,prove that the premise of Londonistan is bang on!Recently during the 50 days war between Israel and Gaza,Londonistan saw massive pro Jihadist pro Hamas demos,sometimes over 1,00,000 strong,vs BBC,and repeatedly,these were terrorist demos,filled with hardcore antisemitism,anti Zionism,anti Israel,anti West sentiments!When Taliban or Al Qaeda did their horrible acts of Jihad,same Londoinistan went on doing things usually,not a pip!Not a single demo!!The way UK people have turned out pro Islamist,it's alarming!It's a lost cause,as filled with hate for the Jews(or Hindus/Sikhs or even freakin Buddhists for that matter) and Israel,the way common Brits talk about Israelis being the new Nazis etc,it has become a caricature of itself,of it's past,and now EU foreign policy is at best is like 'human rights' troll-ism!(I made that word up and I stand by it!)More Muslims are fighting for terrorist empire of Islamic State than for the UK army!Are you kiddin me?Europe's and UK's immigration policies are a total and devastating failure,rather in fact a spectacular failure!UK is already a lost cause and will in time turn Islamic,it'll beome an evil empire with a new flavor and this book said it a long long time ago!I absolutely loved reading this book,so sharp,spot on and somewhat prophetic!I hope people wake up,there's no sense of Islamophobia and many times people are hurt by it when it's uncalled for but in the UK's case,they have let this disease of poisonous ideologies in,and there's no cure,not in the near future anyway!The British govt has officially declared 44 British areas as no-go zones!You cannot go to these Shariah Zones unless you are a Muslim and the police won't protect you if you do!Cowards even published official maps showing these areas!Thing is,behavior of Islamists are different in areas based on concentration of Muslim populations in those areas,they will be adorable minority when in 1-2% populations but if a city has like 10-20% of them,they 'own' those areas and PC govt of Dhimmis will publish maps declaring them no go zones for non Muslims!!When in majority,these areas look like Baghdad or Islamabad and NOT London!This is a prime example of a thoroughly corrupt government!Much vaunted 'Minority outreach' programs just work to appease and make these people feel 'Special',doesn't serve anything good!!It in fact festers anti nationalist 5th columns whose contribution to the society are very very detrimental!Point is,these cuddling of Jihadists make them feel entitled and bold,validates their narcissism and there's no incentive for integration offered by the govt!They live i ethnic enclaves and never bother to learn English,dont feel thankful to the host European countries at all!Even those who are motivated to integrate in the UK society by themselves don't feel like it,due to this politically correct BS by leftists!The fact is European left has sold their countries out to a hungry ideology that knows nothing about loyalty to the host country but just domination!!Multiculturalism the overdose of it,and political correctness have ruined the UK,ad west at large has become a gutless feckless ogre but for America,which while leaning somewhat left post Obama victory,has maintained a healthy balance,America is wayyyy better than EU and Islam will have a super hard time doing the same here,rather it's most likely that such a horrible conquest will never happen here in the US!Thankfully America is a very balanced nation this way and people love America by heart!Islamic Jihad can't thrive here the way it has in Londonistan!I hope it remains that way forever!Meanwhile,political class in the UK needs to get its head out of sand and confront the reality,more British Muslims being the fighters for IS than serving the UK military tells you that something is horribly shitty here and no dose of 'Community/minority/mulitculti outreach' will ever solve this terrorist breeding problem ever!Ms.Phillips also details how cultural decay has led to infestation of radical Islam in the UK,how UK churches have died down and lost the purpose!The thing is,and all established religions are far from perfect and in fact origin of most conflict,decay of Christianity has given in to rise of Islam!People will always seek at least some faith rather than Atheism(which is perfectly fine,atheism is fine I mean) ,people crave it and Islam gives it to them,where there's o individuality,no choice and just submission,surrender!Some people go for that!And far leftist doctrines as manifested by anti Israel demos in London,if left unchecked,is only going to exacerbate this problem!Too much focus on multiculturalism,too little on nationalism and ridiculous laxity on Jihad ism and Islamist terrorism has eroded the UK,it has become a sad pathetic excuse of a society,culture and nation!Ms.Phillips has a strong message for all the Londoners who dont want to bury their heads in sands of denial!That appeasement attitude didnt help in 1938,it didnt help in 2001,2004,2005,7/7 etc at all!It never helps!Another decay which has caused this society dearly is how political correctness and moral relativism have benefited radical Islam!Open any UK paper,you will find some real nasty Jihadist stuff,like rape,grooming,FGM,suicide bombs etc,many times these things by 'British' Muslims!And all you read is,some 'Asian youth' did this and that!WTF!Have you ever seen any Buddhist blow a bus up?NO!Any Indian or Hindu?NO!Chinese/Korean any1?Hell no!But Uhh..Musl...wait,you can't say that!But they do it all the time...NO!You cant say that!It's just Asian youth but not Pakistani(Most likely culprit in case of UK),this actually annoys and offends Asians a lot who dont follow Islam!Multiculti PC actually hurts non Muslims like hell!!And the reasons we are given for this are gems,like colonialism and poverty and linguistic barriers and youth disenfranchisement,racism and uhh,orientalism!WHoa!Thats the magic word isnt it?Did you notice that all these things apply to Hindus(80% of whom are poor) Buddhists(Cambodia/Myanmar/Sri Lanka anyone?),Hispanics and Africans too,but we dont see 'youths' of these cultures blowing towers,trains and plane off!It's something very peculiar to one ideology and it's ime it's called out for what it is!Londonistan the book precisely does that!A book with a strong worded message,very easy to read and will shock you,may be open some eyes!Highly recommended read!5 stars!And uh,Am Israel Chai:)
Somehow this seems all too familiar. British society, long since bereft of a moral or religious framework accepted by all, and sunk into a quagmire of moral relativism and an obsession with human rights rather than responsibilities, has left itself open to conquest by militant Islam. By persistently casting themselves as victims, and yet bullying anyone who questions them, British Muslims are trying to become the dominant force in British society, relegating infidels to the status of second-class citizens (and Jews to the status of untermenschen). The frightening thing is that they are succeeding. Darlings of even the moderate Left (always slow to get an Israeli viewpoint, always quick to re-broadcast the hideous videos of Al-Jazeera TV), Islam will soon be the state religion of the UK. The worrying thing is that nothing Melanie Phillips says about Britain's coming dhimmitude is new or misconceived.Londonistan is so full of useful thunderbolts that one can use to counter the closed minds of one's Left-wing colleagues (not that one would ever stand any chance of actually changing them). My favourite is this -- in Christianity and Judaism, a martyr is someone who is killed for professing their faith. In Islam, a martyr is someone who kills someone else. The problem is that the book rarely strays into any deeper level of analysis, and as a result comes across as hysterical. Being, as she is, a journalist for the populist Daily Mail, a paper too right-wing even for me, Phillips tends to eschew reasoned discussion in favour of presenting her argument in the form of a parade of bite-sized examples to which moral indignation is the only possible answer. Girls banned form the burka claiming infringement of human rights? Appalling! Moderate Muslim organizations courted by the establishment displaying openly antisemitic views? Shocking! Openly racist and homophobic fundamentalists sponging off the state? Someone Should Do Something About It!Now, this might be fine for taxi drivers and the apocryphal Disgusted of Tunbridge Wells, but in this form, this book represents a tremendous waste of an opportunity. This comes across most clearly in the lame and exiguous conclusions. In a book of this kind, the problem is easily stated -- and Phillips does so most eloquently -- but the meat should be in a program of suggested solutions, rather than an extended exposition of wrongs that need to be righted. Apart from saying that Britain should repeal the Human Rights Act (quite right, but more easily said than done) Phillips makes very few suggestions that are in any way constructive, let alone feasible. Perhaps no answer is possible, and any corrective would be too late. If so, that is the most worrying conclusion of all.
Do You like book Londonistan (2006)?
It may well me that in years to come Melanie Phillips will be considered one of the 'prophets' that sounded the alarm that very few seemed to listen to.The author calls it as it is with plenty of research and quotes to back up her thoughts and conclusions. She certainly won't be liked my the majority but I admire her as one to understand and speak out on such an issue. Unfortunately it is the endless quotes that make it a difficult book to get through and digest. I understand that she needs to back up what's she's saying but there's almost too much in the book that is likely to see many readers give up half way through.I certainly think it is a topic we need to be aware of and discuss and therefore I would recommend this an important but not engaging read.
—Graham Smith
This book is a disquieting snapshot of contemporary Britain, and a wakeup call to anyone still deaf to the danger of growing Islamist influence, not to mention Western capitulation to that influence. Melanie Phillips has been dismissed as a fringe voice by some of her ideological opponents, but as the plethora of end notes for each chapter makes clear, this passionate book is also meticulously researched. Despite what some reviewers would have you believe, nothing in "Londonistan" is racist (The provocative title of the book may offend some people, but its derivation is explained, and the name itself is not original to Phillips). Certainly Phillips is indignant throughout the book, but she's also scrupulously fair. In fact, given the controversial subject matter and the way that she disdains conventional "wisdom" in both England and America, this might also be the bravest work I've ever read. It's a quick but important read, highly recommended, and not just to "right-wingers."
—Patrick
This is not a relaxing read. This is not a book to take lightly. From the cover (let alone the first page!) Phillips has you in an armlock and tries her best to wrestle you to the floor. I came out bruised, battered and I think she might have edged the bout on a referee’s decision.If you live in the UK, particularly if you live in an area with a sizeable Muslim population as I have done, many of the points Phillips makes in this book will not be new to you. In fact, they might well affirm how you’ve been feeling. They might even give voice to opinions you’ve felt too intimidated to share with anyone.It’s obvious to anyone who is a reader of the signs of the times that Britain has become a victim of its own political correctness. This book gives you example after example of how the legislature has tied itself in knots as it worships the god Diversity and celebrates the beliefs of anyone who happens to be in a minority. Thus, it has spent the last 20 years appeasing the Muslim community in particular.Why in particular? Well world events and those within its own boundaries have meant that the UK has had to face people living out the teachings of the Koran in a more direct way than at any other time in history. And, Phillips argues, they are having the wool pulled over their eyes by the Islamic architects of a plan that, ultimately, has the Islamicisation of the world as its end goal. I agree with this. In fact, I would challenge any Muslim who did not agree that they were not taking their faith and the Koran seriously. I’ve read the Koran and that is the clear agenda.It would take a lot of work to refute the argument Phillips presents. I’m not saying that this is because its watertight. Rather, her argument is long, detailed and, for the most part, well-researched. I can’t imagine anyone from the Muslim community, for example, writing as scholarly a document in rebuttal. I’m not saying they’re incapable. I’m saying that, from my experience, I can’t imagine it.There are however, areas of weakness. For example, late in the book, while presenting evidence of a scholar’s views which argue for nothing less than the eradication of Israel as a nation state, she saysdespite saying he supported Israel’s existence, he appeared to be suggesting that the Jewish state should be singled out for a fate imposed on no other democracy properly constituted under international law.Nothing wrong with this. Except that earlier in the book, she says that the British judiciary has lost its spine and given itself over to the rule of international law which, she argues, is undemocratic and therefore a fantasy. You can’t have it both ways. Either international law is binding or it isn’t. If it is, Israel has a lawful right to exist as a nation. But if it is, the British judiciary would do well to work under its influence.Phillips spends a lot of time also haranguing the Church of England for sticking its head in the sand. I agreed with much of what she said. But, in criticising Archbishop Carey for apologising “for bringing Christianity to the world” in a culturally insensitive way during the reign of Empire, she attacks him withThe fact that Christianity had brought civilisation to these remote parts, for the very good reason that it was superior to traditional practices there was not acknowledged.Right there, I could tell that she has no experience of living overseas with those who make up the church in those “remote parts.” I have a great deal of experience of this and I can tell you right now that “civilisation” was well and truly in place before the message of Christ ever arrived. Of course what Christ taught is superior to any worldly culture if you believe that he is God. But those who actually work, live and love in those overseas communities can tell you that there has always been much in them that reflects Christ’s teachings, as with all cultures, because they are made up of people made in the image of God. It’s a shame to hear such moralising twaddle from someone who is considered to be so scholarly.I think Phillips has an important message to proclaim. But her style can be described only as rabid and this will put a lot of readers off. More off putting, and a major stumbling block to me, is that after finishing the book, a book which challenges the predominant view that Israel is the baddie in the Palestinian situation, I discovered that she is Jewish.Now, as someone who has a lot of experience writing social research, not declaring a vested interest is tantamount to rendering your entire paper invalid. It is a major omission that nowhere in this book (as far as I remember) did she tell me where she was coming from. It may be, as my dad argued, that everyone knows she’s Jewish. But I’d never heard of her and I didn’t know. At least now I understand one of the major driving factors behind her writing the book in the first place and why she seemed pretty angry all the way through it.
—Arukiyomi
