Quote of the day

Bit longer than usual, but I make no apologies. This from a young Muslim Celtic supporter, "The Bhoy Ali", is excellent:

I’m being a little facetious, but I just did not realise what some people read into the poppy symbol. For me it is a simple way to remember all those young men throughout the former British Empire who never came home. To remember those from a different time with different ethics and different expectations. Those who kissed goodbye to mums and dads, brothers and sisters, wives and girlfriends and never came home. A chance to pay respects to young boys who died on foreign soil for a cause they knew little about but the “establishment” gave them no say in whether they participated.

On second and third readings I began to understand, emphasising the point I made at the beginning – we are all products of our upbringing. For those with more immediate connections with the Irish troubles I can understand why any commemoration of British soldiers will be difficult to bear, especially if you see this symbol as glorification of militarisation. But in the same way you rage against the establishment for “forcing” this symbol on you, don’t rage against me because I don’t see things your way.

You claim that this symbol is being hijacked by those glorifying war. Across the world extremists are trying to hijack Islam, my religion – That’s their problem not mine.

Protestors hold up banners about blood stained poppy’s - Then sing songs about the IRA.

Posters on the web slaughter John Reid and call him Doctor Death – Then stick an X against for New Labour who took us into more conflicts than any other government.

Do read the rest of it.