Muslim Poets Banned from Britain

The UK Border Agency strikes again:

SEVERAL internationally-renowned poets were denied UK entry to perform at this year’s Ledbury Poetry Festival after falling victim to harsh new Home Office rules.

An Indonesian and two Moroccan poets were forced to pull-out of performances at the last minute after being refused visas.

Festival director Chloe Garner said: “I’m devastated, this is hugely embarrassing for the festival. These new regulations make it almost impossible to for us to programme international poets. I feel ashamed that the UK is effectively becoming a fortress.”

Dorothea Rosa Herliany, described as one of the most important poets writing in Indonesia today, was turned down over concerns she was not a “genuine visitor”, that she did not intend to leave the UK at the end of her visit, that she may intend to “take employment or produce goods or provide services”.

Festival organisers eventually managed to have the decision overturned. However, she had been due to perform the day before the decision was made.

Moroccan poets Hassan Najmi and Widad Benmoussa were to appear in the Moroccan Poetry and Food event. Mr Najmi, who is director general of the book and publications department of Morocco’s Ministry of Culture, was made to attend a face-to-face interview, scheduled the day before his appearance. Widad Benmoussa arrived with the relevant documents. She was told she needed further documentation and a new interview date was set. This was after her scheduled appearance.

I have mixed feelings about this.

On the one hand, it is good to have rigorous border controls, and multicultural nonsense such as this isn't particularly important - as I think the ramblings of the organiser demonstrates (if our actual fortresses had operated anything like our modern border controls, there would be no such thing as Britain).

If the border guards suspect someone will not return home, then they are right to keep them out.

On the other hand, it is hard to read a story like this and not wonder. We know that criminals, including murderers and rapists, are regularly allowed into this country.

So do the authorities crack down on soft targets simply to appear tough? We also know that figures and appearances matter far more to this government than reality, so it must surely be a possibility.

Dutchman Killed in Indonesia

From The Jakarta Post:

A Dutch citizen identified as Pleizier, 26, was killed by a local man on Friday at 10 p.m. in Nunukan, East Kalimantan.

Nunukan Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Purwo Cahyoko said Pleizier, who was stabbed 12 times, died after he was rushed to the Nunukan Hospital.

"We have arrested the killer, Basri bin Ismail, one hour after the incident," he said.

Pleizier was in Nunukan after completing his trip in Tawau, Malaysia. He planned to go to Sebuku island, South Kalimantan.

In Nunukan, he walked around in a local market where he met Basri who asked him for some money to buy cigarettes.

When Pleizier refused his request, Basri got upset and hit Pleizier. The fight was then inevitable.

Basri later took out his knife and stabbed Pleizer 12 times.

I believe at this stage there have been no riots and mass protests throughout the Netherlands and Christendom at this appalling murder and the lack of condemnation from the Indonesian government, but it is surely only a matter of time.