Some consternation over a poll that shows a percentage (32%) of British Muslims that agree with the statement that Western Society is decadent and immoral, and should be brought to an end. A statistically tiny (but still numerous) subset of that percentage would endorse the use of “violent” means to accomplish that end.

What’s missing from that poll is a comparison with the population at large. That 32% of Muslims (who expressed a preference) are hardly unique in thinking that our society is decadent and immoral. Ask some Anglicans, for goodness’ sake. Ask some greens (translate “decadent and immoral” into “greedy and unsustainable”), some anti-capitalists (“rapacious and alienating”), some Daily Mail readers (“tidal waves of immigration, political correctness gone mad”). As for acceptance of the use of violence, all of these constituencies have their militant factions. Violent racists, harrassers of scientists who do experiments on animals, black bloc “anarchists”, hunt sabs, GM crop destroyers, queer bashers. (I can’t think of many instances of opponents of gay priests actually chucking paving slabs around, but that’s only because they’re mostly superannuated closet cases. Certainly if verbal violence counts there’s some serious aggro coming from the anti-gay lobby in the church).

We wouldn’t be much of a civilisation if we didn’t have a few malcontents. If you’d asked me, in my early twenties, whether Western Civilisation was decadent and immoral, and whether in the right circumstances I’d endorse the blowing up of selected portions of it, you’d have got a positive answer out of me too. Now of course I think everything’s just *wonderful*…</sarcasm>