WHY DOES EVERYBODY HATE MUSLIMS?

I was invited by the guest relations manager to dine at one of the hotel’s speciality restaurants. This resort is well-known for its Turkish cuisine. My table was between two couples either side of me. Being in such close proximity it was natural that a conversation would be sparked about our stay in the resort, experiences of travelling and life back in England. One pair were in their mid-forties. They resided in High Wycombe but the man worked in London as a black cab driver whilst his wife was a stay at home mother of four daughters. The other couple were of similar age. Both were born and bred in Yorkshire and proud of it. The guy reminded me of what a typical Yorkshire man would be. Geoff Boycott, Fred Truman, Michael Parkinson and with a few Monty Python sketches on Yorkshire stereotypes thrown in the mix. The evening was going swimmingly – with all the males confessing our love for football and England’s chances of reaching the World Cup next year. For some unknown reason the topic of our conversation turned to religion and the belief that large swathes of England is being taken over by Muslims. This is not forgetting that we were presently in a Muslim country, having our chicken kebabs served by Muslim waiters. The taxi driver spat out that some parts of High Wycombe were being overran by Muslims. His wife added that now it was impossible to see her local GP due to a massive influx of foreigners in the area (mostly Muslims). Her GP was Dr Khan – the irony was lost on her. The Yorkshire man retorted that he had to move away from Bradford after the riots. He felt a foreigner in his own country. Crikey how many times have I heard that expression – more times than I have had hot Muslim curries. Then he propounded about Asian grooming gangs who preyed on vulnerable white girls. He said if that was the reverse whites exploiting Muslim girls there would riots on the streets. The other three nodded in vigorous agreement. I manfully tried to reason with them but not even the combined legal skills of Rumpole, Kavanagh QC and Perry Mason would have of stood much chance. Their minds were closed to any sensible debate or discussion. I left the table with indigestion and a little more pessimism about the future of multiculturalism in the UK. I drowned by sorrows in Baileys or at least the Turkish equivalent of it. Branded drinks are not included in the all-inclusive package. Later that night I ventured into Gumbet and hit the most popular nightspot the X-Club. Amongst the crowd I spotted the Yorkshire couple. They were bumping and grinding with the best of them. Their moves were more ghetto than Yorkshire Dales. I must say they may hate Muslims but they can certainly move their arses up north.