Enemies of Reason Poundshop potshots at the media moral maze.

…and this is why Geert Wilders should have been allowed in

Now people are demanding that anyone they don't like should be refused entry to the country. On this occasion the 'people' are the Conservative Party and the Daily Mail, both of whom are - coincidentally, I'm almost certain - in favour of Lebanese journalist Ibrahim Moussawi being barred, the argument being that "Well, that right-wing nut wasn't allowed in, what about this raving Islamist who hates Jews then, eh? Eh?"

It's a fairly despicable thing to do. Wilders should have been allowed in, and so should Moussawi be - that's the sensible thing to think. Are the Tories arguing that Wilders shouldn't have been let in, then - in essence demanding a more hardline approach to everyone they don't like? In which case, where does it end? The trouble is, every person the Tories/Mailies don't like will now be

Now I don't know what form Moussawi has in terms of extremism. What can the Mail tell us?

But the Home Secretary is under pressure to refuse an entry visa to Moussawi, who has allegedly described Jews as 'a lesion on the forehead of history'.

Well has he or not? If he's a journalist, surely this has been published somewhere? If he said it somewhere, surely it was reported by someone else somewhere? I'm not saying this man does or doesn't have poisonous views; I'm just wondering whether to believe an 'allegedly' is good enough to decide.

Now look at this difference between Press Gazette

Moussawi edits the newspaper Al-Intiqad, which is linked to Lebanese political and military organisation Hezbollah.

and the Mail

Editor for the newspaper of Lebanon-based terrorist organisation Hezbollah, he is a former political editor of the Iranian-backed group's TV station, which is banned in many countries including France, Spain and the U.S, as its output is seen as anti-Semitic.

But does that mean he is anti-Semitic? Just because, for example, certain Mail columnists are anti-Islamic, does that mean everyone at the Mail is? It would be rather foolish for anyone to assume so. I don't see a compelling lot of evidence why this man shouldn't be allowed into this country.

What the Mail and Tories are trying to do is say "Why did you not let in this anti-Islamic nutjob when here's an anti-Jew that you've invited with open arms?" and therefore imply that NuLab and evil Jacqui Smith are less bothered by Islamic extremists (WHO ARE THE REAL DANGER!!!!111!!!) than they are by anti-Islamic not-so-extremists. That's bollocks, of course, but the stupid decision not to let Wilders into the country means the Government has opened itself up to this kind of attack.

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