Hungary’s populist victory and the disintegration of Europe.

The re-election of Viktor Orban in Hungary’s presidential election last week came as no surprise, but it has caused dismay in Brussels where there is a real fear that Orban’s trashing of the EU rules may spread to other states within the European Union. His campaign was built on fear-mongering and anti-immigration which gave his right-wing populist party a vastly increased majority.

Orban’s victory is a direct challenge to the core values of the European Union which, according to Christian Ultsch in the Austrian press,¹ has caused some to claim the EU is being “shaken to its foundations”.

Many Christians may be happy to see the secular humanist ‘core values’ of the EU being shaken and all those who respect the Christian values that have formed the foundation stones of Western nations will have some sympathy for Victor Orban’s endeavour to protect his country from a large influx of Muslims. He has seen the difficulties that have arisen in Germany following Angela Merkel’s opening the door to one million Muslims and within months some of them became involved in highly publicised terror attacks and sexual attacks upon women and girls.

In France the latest Islamist attack that has shaken the nation was the murder of Mireille Knoll, an 85-year-old Jewish woman and Holocaust survivor. She was stabbed 11 times before her body was set on fire in an anti-Semitic crime that brought 30,000 people onto the streets in protest.

Equality and Tolerance?

Those who uphold the politically correct EU core values of ‘equality’ and ‘tolerance’ believe that over a period of time integration will take place as people live together and accept one another as equals. But this secular humanist, atheist, Marxist dream of a tolerant society is utterly unachievable and simply reveals the ignorance of those who are the driving force behind the secularisation in Brussels that is seeking to remodel Europe.

They simply do not understand Islam, whose Qur’an specifically forbids Muslims to make friends with Jews and Christians: “O ye who have believed, do not choose Jews and Christians as friends; they are friends to each other; whoever makes friends of them is one of them” (Qur’an 5:51).

Those who uphold the EU values of ‘equality’ and ‘tolerance’ believe that over a period of time integration will take place as people accept one another as equals.

Integration is not on Islam’s agenda. Islam’s short-term objective is to rule Europe and the long-term intention is to dominate the world.

There is no compromise in Islam: which is why there is total deadlock between the Palestinians and the Israelis. The Palestinians do not want peace with Israel: their sole objective is the total destruction of Israel! In Britain we have seen the result of politically correct town councils and secular humanist social workers refusing to believe poor white girls being abused by gangs of immigrant men, so we can understand the widespread indignation in France where similar things are happening and Islamists are particularly targeting Jews.

Islamic Anti-Semitism Exposed

Protests in France against the murder of Holocaust survivor Mireille Knoll. See Photo Credits.

A letter signed by more than 300 French dignitaries (including former President Sarkozy) denouncing the new anti-Semitism in France has been published this week in a Parisian newspaper.² It calls attention to the alarming surge in Islamist radicalism that is driving a string of attacks upon Jews.

The French Jewish community of more than half a million - the largest in Europe - has seen a wave of emigration to Israel over the past 20 years at least partly driven by the virulent anti-Semitism of Muslim immigrants. The letter highlights the “quiet ethnic purging” that is taking place in working-class city neighbourhoods.

Against this backdrop, the rise of far-right populist parties is understandable. But it is not just the EU’s values that are being shaken. Orban’s victory in Hungary is linked with divisions that are destabilising the whole of Western society – it represents the rise of a new kind of nationalism that has its roots in racism.

Self-Destructing Society

It is strange how wherever you look in the Western world today, division and hatred are on the rise. It is as if our societies are tearing themselves apart from the inside out. While immigration into the West has imported a plethora of new prejudices, home-grown hatreds are also flourishing - at both ends of the political spectrum.

Wherever you look in the Western world today, division and hatred are on the rise.

In the USA, right-wing populism brought President Trump to power, but already his presidency has seen a rise in anti-black racism as well as a spike in anti-Semitism.

In Britain, the populist movement that brought about the Brexit vote has coincided with a rise in racist incidents. But the focus recently has been upon left-wing anti-Semitism in the Labour Party since Jeremy Corbyn became leader. In a meeting last week with representatives of Jewish communities Corbyn was challenged to do something to eradicate the racism that has become apparent in the Labour Party.

Behind the Division

What is it in human nature that drives people to hatred of other human beings?

The answer can only be that we have turned our backs on God. We have rejected the biblical values that have formed the foundation of Western democracy for centuries. Once we depart from these core values the cracks in the structures of society begin to show and it’s not long before all our social institutions, such as the family, begin to crumble.

In the absence of love, justice and unity that stems from God, humans soon turn to hatred. Barely one generation passed in Genesis before mankind turned to murder, brother against brother. The lesson of history is that rebellion breeds hatred and violence. Today, from end to end on the political spectrum, we see people trying to build a world without God – just like at the Tower of Babel. We cannot be surprised to see hatred and division on the rise as a result.

The Litmus Test

The litmus test of the health of a society is the poisonous presence of anti-Semitism, the “oldest of all hatreds”. Whereas other racisms regard hated groups as ‘inferior’ (e.g. anti-black racism), anti-Semitism strangely blames Jews for being ‘superior’ because of their achievements in finance, business, banking and the arts. Whereas all other racisms have definable roots, anti-Semitism transcends time, geography, politics and social class.

In the absence of love, justice and unity that stems from God, humans soon turn to hatred.

It also transcends religion. Islamic anti-Semitism is widespread around the world, stemming right back to Mohammed who turned on the Jews and viciously slaughtered them when they refused to accept his new religion. Christian anti-Semitism has flourished through the ages as Jews have been blamed for killing Jesus and punished for rejecting the Gospel, while Replacement Theology has been manufactured by the Church to write Jews out of God’s purposes altogether.

When people rebel against God and reject his word, this manifests most virulently in a spiritual hatred for the Jews as the covenant people of God, through whom he chose to reveal his nature and purposes to the world. But the Bible says that “The word of the Lord will go out from Jerusalem. He will judge between the nations and settle disputes for many peoples” (Isa 2:3-4). This has never been rescinded; and is still God’s intention to fulfil.

The cracks and divisions in our society today have one common root: rebellion against God. This is surely the major problem of our humanity that only the Gospel can cure.

References

1 Die Presse, Vienna, 9 April 2018.

2 Click here for the original letter (in French) or here for the translated page. Please also see this article from Jihad Watch.

Is Trump a modern version of the Persian king Cyrus?

Rival petitions calling for a ban on a state visit from President Trump and supporting such a visit, have attracted sufficiently large numbers of supporters in the UK to trigger a debate in Parliament scheduled for 20 February 2017.

The outcry from the anti-Trump campaigners has been the larger and most vociferous. It rapidly attracted over 1 million petitioners in the first few days, encouraged by street demonstrations in many cities across the world.

The petitions resulted from an executive order signed by Donald Trump imposing a three-month suspension of visas for visitors from seven countries with Muslim-majority populations. The seven are Iraq, Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen – all known to have connections with Islamic terrorists.

Recent anti-Trump protest, New York. See Photo Credits.Why has this caused such an outcry in Western nations? It surely cannot be that large numbers of Westerners want to encourage Middle Eastern Muslims to go to the USA. There has to be another reason. Of course, it’s an opportunity to express dislike of Trump and the many offensive things that he said during his campaign. But the spontaneous outburst also needs to be seen in the wider context of the huge backlash against the Trump inauguration both in the USA and in many other nations.

Elite Outcry

This backlash has come particularly from those within the US who support the liberal elite – the secular humanist intelligentsia who have controlled the political scene in the country for several decades. The prospect of them losing the political power and social status they have enjoyed for so many years is driving them to a frenzy of protest, using every possible means of expressing their fury - from traditional street demonstrations to celebrity endorsements and social media.

The latest move by President Trump to appoint a conservative judge to fill a vacancy in the Supreme Court underlines the social and moral revolution that is beginning to unravel decades of social engineering that has taken place in the USA.

The backlash against Trump is coming from the secular humanist intelligentsia who have controlled the political scene in the USA for decades.

One of the major reasons for Trump attracting large numbers of supporters who do not usually vote Republican and large numbers of the disillusioned and disenfranchised is because he promised "to drain the Washington sump". Americans understood this as getting rid of the cabal of professional politicians and civil servants who have imposed a far-left social ideology upon the USA for the past two or three decades.

Trump as Cyrus

Evangelical Christians in the USA have hailed Donald Trump as being in the mould of Cyrus, the 6^th Century BC Persian ruler who was described by the Prophet Isaiah as being chosen by God, although he didn’t even know the name of the God of Israel (see Isa 45:4).

It is an interesting comparison because Cyrus overthrew the all-powerful Babylonian Empire that had ruled what we now know as the Middle East for 70 years. The then-current Babylonian Emperor, Nabonidus, was weak and ineffective. When Cyrus approached Babylon there was no battle and no resistance – people welcomed him and he took control of the whole Babylonian Empire without a drop of blood being shed.

Cyrus was different from any other ruler before him. He did not publicly kill Nabonidus. He arrested him but treated him kindly. Also, he signed a decree releasing all the political prisoners held by the Babylonians. This enabled all the Jews who had been enslaved by Nebuchadnezzar and used as forced labour in Babylonia, to go back to their homes in Israel and to re-build the ruined city of Jerusalem.

Cyrus’s decree also released people from other countries who had been deported to Babylon. They were allowed to go back to their countries of origin and take with them the edifices of their gods which had been brought to Babylon. The Jews did not have images of God, but they were allowed to take all the sacred vessels stolen by Nebuchadnezzar from the Temple in Jerusalem.

Evangelical Christians in the USA have hailed Donald Trump as being in the mould of Cyrus, the 6th Century BC Persian ruler.

Helping God’s People

Cyrus not only allowed the Jewish people to go back to Jerusalem; he also gave a large sum of money to the Jews for the re-building of the Temple, on the understanding that they would regularly pray for him and his family. The ‘Cyrus Cylinder’ which is held in the British Museum in London gives details of this arrangement, which is hailed by many historians as the first ‘Charter of Human Rights’ in world history.

Cyrus was the first Emperor to rule his empire by ‘consensus’ and not by force. He believed that if the people felt gratitude towards him and he showed generosity rather than cruelty; they would accept him and not oppose his authority. History shows a period of peace throughout the region during his lifetime and those of his immediate successors.

Today’s Changes

So, are American Christians justified in comparing Trump with Cyrus?

First, look at the situation in Washington: a revolutionary period of change has begun in the USA – not through violent revolution (even though there have been protests) but via a peaceful transition of power, like Cyrus’s takeover of Babylon. The man leading today’s revolution is very different from all those who have gone before; he has no entrenched political ideology. He has no experience of government or diplomacy; but that was probably what was needed to effect fundamental change (although he is likely to make some clumsy mistakes until he gains experience).

Now look at the nature of the changes that are taking place. The secular humanist liberal elite that has ruled Washington for decades is being replaced by a much more conservative administration who wish to emphasise traditional, biblically-based social and moral values. Of course, there are many in America who hate what is happening and they are very vocal in protest. But that doesn’t mean that the changes taking place are necessarily bad.

Cyrus overthrew the Babylonian Empire in a peaceful revolution, and was different from any other ruler before him.

Battling for the Soul of the West

Meanwhile, the same battle is going on in Europe: it is a battle for the soul of the Western nations in a largely post-Christian era. In Britain, the battle has become focused around Brexit, with secular humanists on both the left and the right, such as Nick Clegg and Ken Clarke, still fighting to keep Britain within the European Union.

Listening to the debate in the House of Commons this week, it was clear that the division between supporters of Brexit and Remainers is no longer political and economic - it is about social values and the ethos of our national identity: at root, it is a spiritual battle.

It is essential that Christians understand the nature of this battle that is taking place in our lifetime – for it is a battle where prayer and Christian witness are of vital significance for the outcome.

Is Trump a Modern Cyrus?

So, back to the original question: could Trump be a modern Cyrus? Cyrus the Persian was a great leader: he was wise and compassionate. Do we see the same characteristics in Trump? Probably not at the moment, but can he change? Only time will tell.

The same battle is going on in Europe – it is a battle for the soul of the Western nations in a post-Christian era.

But one thing is certain – God has allowed his election to happen and I firmly believe in the sovereignty of God and that with God nothing is impossible. So, I’m prepared to wait and see and to join American Christians in surrounding the man with prayer, in the hope that he may grow in wisdom and grace for the sake of the peace and prosperity of the world.

Clifford Hill discusses growing ethnic segregation in Britain.

A report published this month highlights the alarming trend of racial segregation in many towns and cities in Britain.¹ The overall decline in the white population of Britain is accelerating with vast changes that have taken place in a single generation.

By contrast, this month we have also been celebrating black culture, with the BBC broadcasting an excellent series called Black and British: A Forgotten History, as part of their Black and British season this November.² In this article we review some of the changes that have taken place since the middle of the last century.

Initial Arrivals

Before World War II the UK population was virtually 100% white. The number of non-white people was statistically too small to show in any survey. For most people in Britain their first encounter with non-white people was when members of the Commonwealth came to help defend the Motherland from threatened Nazi invasion, and when American forces with many black soldiers arrived in preparation for the 1944 invasion of Europe.

HMT Empire Windrush.After the war the first non-white migrants (mostly ex-servicemen who had served with the British forces) came to Britain from Jamaica aboard the Empire Windrush in 1948. Their numbers increased steadily during the 1950s. It was not until the early 1960s that significant numbers of Asians began arriving, settling mainly in the Southall area of West London.³

Ten years later I was living in East Ham, in 1972, when the first Asians arrived in Newham as refugees from Uganda, expelled by Idi Amin. The area where they settled was mostly white with a modest number of Caribbeans. Today it has only 4% white people living there. Many of the white people in Newham are now from Poland, Lithuania or other parts of East Europe, and there are only a handful left of local EastEnders who were born and raised in the area.

I was living in East Ham in 1972, when the first Asians arrived in Newham as refugees from Uganda.

Total Transformation

There are other areas of Britain that have seen a similar change-over in a single generation. The report, by professors Ted Cantle and Eric Kaufmann of Birkbeck, University of London, shows how in some areas the white British population has halved in the past 20 years.

Blackburn in Lancashire has areas where there are virtually no white people. The Whalley Range area of Manchester is where migrants from India and Pakistan came in the 1960s to work in the cotton mills. Today, the report says, 95% of the local population is Asian and there are schools where there are no white children. Integration has simply not taken place.

The process of neighbourhood change is very similar to what I have seen happening in Chicago and Detroit in the USA where 'redlining' has taken place. When the first black people moved into an area the real estate agents would 'redline' it and inform the white occupants that property values were dropping and if they wanted to maintain their stake in the housing market they should sell quickly and move out of the area. Within two or three years the population can change drastically. Something similar has happened in many towns and cities in Britain.

A Racial Issue?

Church and mosque side by side, Birchfield. See Photo Credits.

Last year my wife and I visited a church in Leicester where they were baptising 15 former Muslim migrants. They were the only church left in the area. We took with us a friend from Oxford who had a sore throat. He went into the local corner shop to get some cough sweets but was unable to make himself understood because neither the shopkeeper nor anyone in the crowded shop spoke English!

According to the report, white people are moving out of 'Asian areas' in droves and this situation is repeated in many other places such as Slough where the white British population dropped in 10 years from 53% in 2001 to 34% in 2011.

This lack of integration will cause serious social problems if it is not tackled very soon. Segregation breeds prejudice and dysfunctional societies. It reinforces racial stereotypes and creates fear and suspicion; this is what is happening in areas where large-scale Asian settlement has taken place. But this needs to be seen in its true perspective – not as a racial issue but a cultural issue! It is very important to recognise this.

Segregation breeds prejudice and reinforces racial stereotypes, creating fear and suspicion.

Segregation is About Religious Culture

There are many inner-city areas where Africans and African-Caribbean migrants have settled and integrated with the local white population. In the 2011 riots that began in Tottenham, north London, and spread to other areas of London and other cities, it was very clear that these were not race riots – black and white participated equally in protests against inequality and injustice. I described this from my personal experience of living in Tottenham in FREE AT LAST: The Tottenham Riots and The Legacy of Slavery.⁴

Following some difficult times in the early years, the Africans and Caribbeans have now integrated well into local white communities because they share a common Christian culture - in contrast to the Indians and Pakistanis whose backgrounds are mostly Muslim, Hindu or Sikh. These cultural differences have been exacerbated by the failure of our politicians to understand the social and cultural issues involved.

Establishment Ignorant

British immigration laws were formed in the 1960s, based upon outdated concepts of the old British Empire. All citizens of the Empire were regarded as 'British' which gave them the right to settle in Britain. This has allowed large numbers of Asian migrants the freedom to develop a form of voluntary racial apartheid in Britain. They have been allowed to settle in an area of their choice and given no official help with cultural integration, language instruction (although local voluntary groups have helped) or education in British history, law or customs. There has been no expectation that they would integrate into British society. They have been free to come to Britain and establish culturally isolated expatriate communities.

To reinforce their cultural isolation, they have also been permitted to bring their relatives to Britain including sending their children back to India or Pakistan to find a marriage partner and bring them back to Britain, thus doubling the size of the childbearing migrant population every generation and maintaining a much higher birth-rate than the white population. Of course, some Asians integrated very well into British culture as can be seen in the election of the London Mayor, but this has not happened with the majority of migrants.

By contrast, most African and Caribbean migrants have been keen to integrate into British society. African-Caribbeans have English as their first language; their education is British-based, and the vast majority are Christians having attended churches of similar denomination to those in Britain. The largest churches in Britain are African, and the Redeemed Christian Church of God holds an all-night prayer meeting twice a year where 50,000 (mainly migrants from Nigeria) meet at the ExCeL Centre in London to pray for the re-evangelisation of Britain.

Segregation is a cultural issue, not a racial issue - it varies greatly depending on the religious culture of migrant populations.

The differences between the Africans and the Asians have not been recognised by our politicians. Politicians of all parties in Britain have recklessly ignored our centuries of Christian heritage in Britain and encouraged the settlement of those who have no interest in becoming 'British'. Many Asian migrants want to retain their own culture and for some of them their desire is to change the culture of Britain. This is particularly true of some Muslims; whose stated aim is to make Britain a Muslim country. British immigration law actually facilitates this. Unless the law is changed Britain could have a Muslim majority by the middle of this century.

Of course, it could be argued that the migrants are only following the British example. The British formed expatriate communities in India and made no attempt to integrate, and to a small extent we are doing it today in Cyprus, but that doesn't make it right.

Wisdom and Love, Not Xenophobia

I have spent the whole of my working life living and working among migrants and campaigning for the rights of ethnic minorities. My first book was called Black and White in Harmony,⁵ and I have constantly advocated the rich benefits of cultural diversity - so I can hardly be charged with xenophobia in calling for a change in our immigration policy.

It is surely time for Christians in Britain to sound the alarm and call upon our politicians to review ALL the laws regarding immigration as part of the Brexit negotiations. Surely it would be much better to be giving refuge to Christians fleeing their desperate plight in war-torn Syria than to go on allowing thousands of migrants to come in from Pakistan who have no love for Britain and who may represent a very real threat to the future of this nation.

White Britain has gone forever and I personally have no regret - I love living in a multi-racial community with its rich diversity. But I am greatly concerned that our precious freedoms for which we fought two world wars will be lost if Islam becomes the dominant religion in Britain. We need to wake up to the fact that our present immigration laws are directly handing Britain over to Islam.

For all who believe that Britain still has a role in the modern world – it is time to sound the alarm! If we are to maintain our freedom to preach the Gospel of Jesus and to preserve our Judaeo-Christian heritage, our immigration laws must be changed!

References

1 Reported in The Guardian. Asthana, A and Parveen, N. Call for action to tackle growing ethnic segregation across UK, 1 November 2016.

2 Watch online here. See all the programmes associated with the BBC's Black and British season here.

3 ONS net immigration statistics quoted from Hill, C, 1970. Immigration and Integration. Pergamon Press Ltd, Oxford, p27.