English Defence League: Mission Statement
1.
Human Rights: Protecting And Promoting Human Rights
The English Defence League (EDL) is a human rights organisation that exists to protect the inalienable rights of all people to protest against radical Islam’s encroachment into the lives of non-Muslims.
It also recognises that Muslims themselves are frequently the main victims of some Islamic traditions and practices. The Government should ensure the individual human rights of members of the Muslim community to openly criticise Islamic orthodoxy, to challenge Islamic community leaders without fear of retribution, to receive full equality before the law (including equal rights for Muslim women), and to leave Islam if they see fit and to do so without fear or censure. Muslims have the right to demand reform of their religion to make it more relevant to the needs of the modern world, including the need to fully respect other groups in society without fear of retribution.
The EDL calls upon the Government to repeal legislation that prevents effective freedom of speech, which is essential if the human rights abuses that sometimes manifest themselves around Islam are to be stopped.
The EDL believes that radical Islam has a stranglehold on British Muslims. It keeps them fearful and isolated, especially the women that it encases in the burqa. It misrepresents their views, stifles freedom of expression, and radicalises their children, whilst continually doing a discredit to those who do wish to peacefully co-exist with their fellow Britons.
2.
Democracy and the Rule of Law: Promoting Democracy And The Rule Of Law By Opposing Sharia
The European Court of Human Rights has declared that “sharia is incompatible with the fundamental principles of democracy”. We have seen in recent years a great deal of accommodation with sharia norms based on the premise that sharia rules can be simply attached to our existing traditions and customs. In reality sharia is an alternative to our legal, political, and social systems.
Encouragement of halal food, Islamic courts, and the demand to respect Islam are all aspects of sharia designed to undermine our established way of life on the road to the crystalisation of the full sharia alternative. Sharia law makes a fundamental distinction between Muslims and non-Muslims, and the EDL will never allow this sort of iniquitous apartheid system to take root in our country. The EDL will therefore oppose sharia appeasement in all its forms.
3.
Public Education: Ensuring That The Public Get A Balanced Picture Of Islam
A central part of the EDL’s mission is public education. For a long time the British political and media establishment have been presenting a very sanitised and therefore inaccurate view of Islam shaped by the needs of policy-makers rather than the needs of the public. This has acted as a barrier to informed policy-making and made the solution of real problems impossible. In pursuing this self-defeating and destructive policy, the Government has effectively been acting as the propaganda arm of the Muslim Brotherhood.
The EDL is committed to a campaign of public education to ensure that all aspects of Islam that impact on our society are brought into the open so that they can be debated in a forthright and honest manner. It believes that only by looking at all the facts can society be effectively and humanely governed. If there are aspects of Muslim tradition that encourage the activities of Islamic radicals and criminals, then these need to be properly addressed without fear of accusations of racism or xenophobia.
The public must have a more balanced and less sanitised view of Islam that allows it to ensure that decision-makers are held to account for their policy-making choices, choices that affect the harmony and security of the nation.
The EDL promotes the understanding of Islam and the implications for non-Muslims forced to live alongside it. Islam is not just a religious system, but a political and social ideology that seeks to dominate all non-believers and impose a harsh legal system that rejects the democratic process. It runs counter to all that we hold dear within our British liberal democracy.
4.
Respecting Tradition: Promoting The Traditions And Culture Of England While At The Same Time Being Open To Embrace The Best That Other Cultures Can Offer
The EDL believes that English Culture has the right to exist and prosper in England. It recognises that culture is not static, and that over time natural change takes place, and that other cultures can make contributions which make our culture stronger and more vibrant. However, this does not give license to policy-makers to deliberately undermine our culture and impose non-English cultures on the English people in their own land.
If people migrate to this country then they should be expected to respect our culture, its laws and traditions, and not expect their own cultures to be promoted by agencies of the state. The best of their cultures will be absorbed naturally and we will all be united by the enhanced culture that results.
The EDL is therefore keen to draw its support from all races, all faiths, all political persuasions, and all lifestyle choices. Under its umbrella all people in England, whatever their background or origin, can stand united in a desire to stop the imposition of the rules of Islam on non-believers. In order to ensure the continuity of our culture and its institutions, the EDL stands opposed to the creeping Islamisation of our country, because that presents itself as an undemocratic alternative to our cherished way of life.
Our armed forces stand up and risk their lives every day in order to protect our culture and democratic way of life. They, also, are inclusive of all England’s diversity, and are a shining example of what a people can achieve in unity. The EDL is therefore committed to opposing any and all abuse that our men and women in uniform are subjected to, and will campaign for legal remedies to ensure that those working within these important institutions are not exposed to abuse or aggression from within our country.
5.
International Outlook: Working In Solidarity With Others Around The World
The EDL is keen to join with others who share its values, wherever they are in the world, and from whatever cultural background they derive. It believes that the demand for sharia is global and therefore needs to tackled at a global as well a as national level, so that this demand will never be realised. The EDL will therefore have an international outlook to enhance and strengthen its domestic efforts.
