UKip call for Muslims to sign 'code of conduct'

Gerard Batten, UKIP’s spokesperson on immigration, has suggested that British Muslims be required to sign a special code of conduct. The document, which Batten co-authored, asks Muslims to sign a declaration rejecting violence and added that passages of the Qur’an should be modified to fit in with modern society.

He claimed some Muslim texts need updating, claiming some say, 

"kill Jews wherever you find them and various things like that. If that represents the thinking of modern people, there's something wrong, in which case maybe they need to revise their thinking. If they say they can't revise their thinking on those issues, then who's got the problem – us or them?"

This isn’t the first time that Batten, who claims to believe in equality, has publicly condemned aspects of Islam. In 2011, Batten wrote a document titled “Confidential Draft - Dismantling Multiculturalism,” in which he denounced multiculturalism as something unsustainable and incompatible with British culture. In the document, there are negative references to Islam, however, there is no other mention of any other religious groups in a negative light throughout the document, which is indicative of his anti-Islamic views, despite his claim to belief in equality.

The implication of this incident is another damaging blow to the reputation of UKip, a party that claims to be screening its lines for candidates with eccentric views in order to become more consistent and distance itself from the extreme reputation that it is acquiring. Ukip’s leader, Nigel Farage, has spent the last few months trying to purge the party of candidates with extreme viewpoints, particularly in the run up to the European Elections. He commented that Batten’s views by no means reflect the views of the entire party. Nevertheless, in UKIP’s statement of principles they mention that “multiculturalism has split our society,” something that sounds very close to the title of Batten’s confidential document.

Angelica Encinales