Every group has its extreme elements, even the white majority culture here has its white supremacists for example.

However, what matters is the numbers of radicals to moderates within any group and how 'useful' and integrated and progressive to western values the majority moderate culture is.

So when I gauge the British Jewish community up against these values or indeed most Jews around the world I come to the conclusion that they are...in general great.

I'm pretty much a fan of everything Jewish.....From their humour to their stereotypical work ethic and drive. They integrate completely into a culture and unlike the waffle about some that ministers sometimes put out... Jews genuinely do improve any host culture.

However, their current government in Israel is an example of a closed mind to peace and one which is determined to slowly push the Palestinian out of Palestine.

I believe it isn't anti semitic to criticise the Israeli government when it commits terrible acts.

Still, I do believe that regularly amongst the left and even occasionally on the right you get many who go further than this and at least to a degree display a anti semitic nature.

Edited by Stirlingsays (09 Jun 2015 10.02am)

He is not distinguishing between "all those who follow a particular religion" and those who profess following a particular religion but adhere to a vulgar b******ised extreme of the religion.

Thus all muslims don't equate to being followers of Salafism by something akin to definition.

Thus,all Catholics don't equate to being admirers of the extreme variant expressed in the Spanish Inquisition.

He expressed the view there's not a lot of difference between being an Islamist and a muslim per se,ie all muslims are similar to Islamists. Islamism is an "extreme" political interpretationof Islam,about as relevant to muslims as a whole,as extreme zionism is to jews worldwide or the Spanish Inquisition was to catholics generally at the time.

So,what he is saying is not so different to the anti-generalising and stereotyping stuff kenbarr is posting against.

Personally,I abhor salafism, Islamism etc.But, I see that adherents are not automatically similar to a follower of the muslim faith per se.

Edited by legaleagle (09 Jun 2015 9.39am)

I didn't get that angle at all from his comment - I read it as he dislikes the religion, but not necessarily those that follow it.

Still, I may be completely misrepresenting him, it just seemed you may be playing the man, not the ball, on that particular one.