The Last Ditch by Tom Paine

Link: Why Muslim women should thank Straw – Comment – Times Online.

I have nothing to add to what Ms Khan has written. She is a brave woman. Her article makes me ashamed of having taken so much care to steer around the truths she has written for fear of giving offence. Our cultures can only co-exist in peace when we are able to talk frankly to each other. I am grateful to her.

I am also, to my surprise, grateful to Jack Straw. I dislike the man and disagree with his politics. I suspect he started this debate quite cynically, but he may – by accident – have done some good. He has stimulated an honest debate and has, by giving Ms. Khan the chance to state her view, revealed that Britains’ Muslims do not – as many feared – think and act as a radical whole.