Hard truths

I cannot understand why Jonathan Boyd (How to meet the

multicultural challenge, JC, Dec 15), and, indeed, the JC itself are so reluctant to confront the real issue with the Islamic centre in Golders Green.

Why is everyone bending over backwards to make excuses for the centre? Mr Boyd says that, “close to half of all British Muslims dismiss all anti-Jewish tropes”, which is jolly nice of them, but it does mean that more than half don’t dismiss such tropes. If “close to half” of all British non-Muslims didn’t dismiss anti-Muslim tropes, I doubt Mr Boyd would dismiss the findings so lightly.

If Islam were as truly benign as we are constantly being exhorted to believe, there’d be no need for exhortation. And if this were a Hindu or Buddhist or Sikh centre, it would probably just rate an “and finally” paragraph in the Hendon Times, and be genuinely welcomed.

Hostility to an Islamic centre has nothing to with parking, multiculturalism or Islamophobia, and everything to do with security.

Leaving aside the many reports of British Islamists running away to fight with ISIS or plotting havoc in the UK, somewhat closer to home, local MP Mike Freer has been accused of being a “Jewish pig”. He isn’t Jewish, but that tells you all you need to know.

How soon before similar attacks on actual Jews and Jewish businesses in the area become commonplace?

In the meantime, the North Finchley mosque remains freely accessible, while local synagogues all have security gates and 24-hour security patrols. Herschel Zimonas

London N12