In recent days, protests against racism in the United States have spread to the United Kingdom, where activists are advocating the removal of statues honoring Prime Minister Winston Churchill because of his racist views. Conservatives such as current Prime Minister Boris Johnson have come to Churchill’s defense, but they might not be so quick to do so if they were familiar with Churchill’s largely unknown progressive past.
There is no dispute about Churchill being a racist by today’s sensibilities. For example, in his book, The River War, Churchill wrote: “How dreadful are the curses which Mohammedanism lays on its votaries! Besides the fanatical frenzy, which is as dangerous in a man as hydrophobia in a dog, there is this fearful fatalistic apathy. The effects are apparent in many countries. Improvident habits, slovenly systems of agriculture, sluggish methods of commerce, and insecurity of property exist wherever the followers of the Prophet rule or live. A degraded sensualism deprives this life of its grace and refinement; the next of its dignity and sanctity.”
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