The last thread got closed because we were posting about mod warnings while the thread title referenced mod
actions, which is fair enough. I'm going to copy my last two posts from that thread here as they refer to mod warnings and specifically the declaration of certain topics as "off topic" for the Cafe, which myself and many other users apparently feel are very much
on topic. This part of the discussion went unaddressed in the closing post so I feel it's reasonable to continue it with this thread.
My final two posts (excepting replies) were as follows:
to be specific, this is the mod warning I take issue with regarding the immigration thread on the Cafe:
If you want to discuss the role of Islam as a faith in the Western World, go to World religions.
If you want to discuss how Islam is going to impose it's will and imprison all Western Women and force them to abide by Sharia law, go to conspiracy theories.
If you want to discuss overall immigration from outside the EU and the impact it is having, considering all of the nationalities, feel free to post here.
This is just moronic. The current migrant crisis involves predominantly Middle Eastern and African countries which are majority Islam and have elements of Islamic law in the law of the land, much as Ireland has elements of Catholic doctrine in the law of the land. To suggest that there's no place on a politics forum to discuss specifically this issue without diluting it is absolutely ridiculous. To suggest that the role of Islam in the Western world is not a political issue is ridiculous. To suggest that discussion of whether mass immigration from such countries could lead to social movements in favour of hardline doctrines such as sharia etc is not relevant to a politics forum and is a mere conspiracy theory, is as insulting to right wing posters as tropes such as "SF/IRA", "magic money tree" and "looney left" are to left wing posters like myself - these have been rightly banned on the Cafe, but now we have a mod essentially dismissing right wing beliefs as conspiracy nuts in a similar fashion.
I'm a far left poster, the fact that I'm posting here in defence of the right's allegations of ideological moderation and bias should speak for itself. Unless Boards wants to openly state that opinions further right than an arbritrary set point are unwelcome (while similarly far left views are clearly not), this needs to end. And if Boards does make such an official announcement, in my view, prepare to see a haemorrhage of users like never before.
This kicked off a year or two ago and after a thread very similar to this one, Boards actually did briefly get its act together in this regard - it seems that over time though, the results of those discussions have been forgotten about.
and
It's completely mad - trying to make ultraconservative Islam and its potential impact on the EU's political culture in the event of widespread immigration from countries such as Syria etc, an elephant in the room. Everybody knows that when the migrant crisis is discussed, or even multiculturalism in general, this is currently the main issue on peoples' minds. It's ridiculous to suggest that it's not relevant to politics, when it's the decisions of our political leaders and the impact of certain extreme, hardline Muslim ideologies on our political systems which is the main concern most of these right wing posters on the subject have. Declaring discussions of fundamentalist Islam off topic to such a discussion is like declaring discussion of how a storm might affect a football match off-topic to a thread about said match on the football forum because technically such discussion belongs in the weather forum - absurd and inexplicable, unless the reality is that Boards, or some of its moderators, are uncomfortable with anybody expressing the view that they do not support multiculturalism or that they do not believe that people with certain ideologies, which they believe are incompatible with the values of our society, should be allowed to immigrate en masse to the EU.
Once again: I literally have no problem with immigration or Islam (hate to trot this old line out, but some of my best friends are Muslims) so I can't be accused of having a dog in that fight - I just think it's ridiculous that such discussion is being suppressed when it's so obviously the biggest issue on everyone's minds when discussing recent immigration to the EU - the migrant crisis, the fact that many of the migrants are coming from countries which do not believe in the secular freedoms that we do, the fact that Isis has gloated about using the migrant crisis to smuggle their operatives into the EU and the fact that radical Islamist attacks have been on the rise in Europe over the last number of years.
To suggest that these subjects are off topic to a political discussion is utterly ridiculous. And with that thread now locked, there is nowhere on Boards where one can discuss these issues at all.
If this thread is to be closed as well, can we
please address this issue first? Repeating myself but to be absolutely clear here,
I do not agree with the right wing's view of this issue AT ALL. I am merely concerned that the Cafe will become an incredibly boring and quiet place if everybody other than those of us who agree with eachother is silenced there. I also find it impossible to conjure any justification for suggesting that the political and social issues arising from a large influx of people who adhere to a very different cultural system and set of cultural values (this just happens to be religious in this case but it doesn't necessarily have to be - Japan for instance has a vastly different culture to our own and this is not as far as I know born out of religious differences) could be "off topic" on a politics forum and better suited in forums which, ironically, would probably consider them off topic because they actually have too
much of a political slant. For instance, I highly doubt that a religion or humanities forum would be remotely interested in hosting a discussion about the
political and
governmental issues around immigration from vastly different cultures, it is at its very heart a political issue.
I never like to kick off a thread like this with a blunt allegation, but in this case it would feel utterly bizarre not to - if there is a policy of not allowing right wing discussion of this issue on the grounds that our current cultural climate regards such views as unacceptable to express, then this should be clearly stated. It honestly feels - and I'm not trying to cast aspersions on anyone here but merely speaking what I know many posters are feeling - like the off topic thing is a red herring designed to mask what's actually going on - that, as I say, right wing views which are further right than an arbitrary line in the sand are now regarded as socially unacceptable and therefore are unwelcome on Boards, or at least on the Cafe specifically.
If this is the case, I would simply request that it be openly stated. The charter refers to the vilification of groups, but I would argue that it's perfectly possible to refrain from vilifying a group while still openly stating that you believe their cultural values and belief systems to be incompatible with our own, and worry about the effect of these values and belief systems becoming mainstream where currently they are not. That does not amount to vilification - if it does, then surely attacking mainstream right wing views or left wing views, as we do every day on the cafe (capitalism vs socialism to take an obvious example) also amounts to vilifying the people who subscribe to those ideologies and should therefore be equally unwelcome?
