Category Archives: UK

Contempt for democracy

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Anas Altikriti“The weekend response of the Foreign Office minister Kim Howells to a letter from British Muslim leaders that says the prime minister’s policies share the blame for the threat and reality of violence may have sounded clever to him, but the letter is a reflection of the anger and frustration spreading in the community. Among the signatories were those who had previously argued that there was no link between domestic terrorism and foreign policy.

“John Reid also attacked the letter, arguing that it is for the democratic process to decide our foreign policy, not terrorists. He is right, but most people in Britain, and the government’s own security services, believe that policies of war and occupation in the Middle East and wider Muslim world are fuelling the threat we are facing.

“Anyone in the Muslim community attracted to violence as a way of changing those policies needs be persuaded of the necessity of engaging in democratic politics – as most British Muslims have been doing. But the prospects of bringing them on board are not helped by the contempt for democracy and for the people’s views that the Blair government has demonstrated. In the interests of us all, the government must listen and change course now.”

Anas Altikriti in the Guardian, 15 August 2006

Muslims warn over being singled out at airport gates

Posted on by Bob Pitt

A leading British Muslim group last night warned the government to think “very carefully” following reports that the Department for Transport was in talks with the aviation industry to introduce a method of passenger profiling which could be used to single out Muslims for security checks.

The Muslim Council of Britain said the procedure, which includes “behavioural pattern recognition”, would inevitably lead to discrimination. Inayat Bunglawala, its spokesman, said the government risked alienating “the community whose help it needs in combating the terrorist threat”. He said: “Before some kind of religious profiling is introduced, a case has to be made; and we are certainly not convinced by the arguments for this kind of profiling. First of all, Muslims are not an ethnicity, as was shown by the arrests in last week’s raids; there are many white converts to Islam.”

Mr Bunglawala said that many Muslims already felt “unfairly targeted” because of their appearance, and that some form of profiling was already in effect. “This kind of thing must be intelligence-led, not appearance-led … I hope the government has thought very carefully about this.”

His remarks were echoed by one of Britain’s most senior Muslim police officers. Chief Superintendent Ali Desai of the Metropolitan police told BBC2’s Newsnight that profiling would create a new offence of “travelling whilst Asian”. He added: “That’s unpalatable to everyone … What we don’t want to do is actually alienate the very communities who are going to help us catch terrorists.”

Guardian, 15 August 2006

Imperialist platitudes

Posted on by Bob Pitt

“No comments better encapsulate British government refusal to either comprehend or take seriously the letter sent by Muslim organisations and politicians to the Prime Minister than John Reid’s pompous utterances. Mr Reid did his best to stress the ‘alien’ nature of the government critics by lecturing them that it is ‘not the British way’ to change policy under threat. Of course it isn’t. It normally takes a discreet phone call from the White House, in the face of which our entire foreign policy is open to rewrite.

“‘No government worth its salt would stay in power, in my view, and no government worth its salt would be supported by the British people if our foreign policy or any other aspect of policy was being dictated by terrorists’, he continued, as though the critics had suggested that any policy should be dictated by terrorists.

“Only a wilfully obtuse reading of the letter could inspire such an interpretation. The Muslim representatives were simply spelling out what Britain’s security services have already told the government – namely, that there is a link between this country’s pro-US foreign policy and the escalating terrorist threat…. Lecturing Muslim leaders to do more to combat the virus of extremism in their communities is a slimy substitute for the government facing up to its own responsibility for mass murder and opting to change its ways by adopting an ethical foreign policy.”

Morning Star editorial, 15 August 2006

‘Multiculturalism is to blame for perverting young Muslims’

Posted on by Bob Pitt

The Bishop of Rochester asks “how does this dual psychology – of victimhood, but also the desire for domination – come to infect so many young Muslims in Britain?” One reason is that “in the name of multiculturalism, mosque schools were encouraged and Muslim pupils spent up to six extra hours a day learning the Koran and Islamic tradition, as well as their own regional languages”.

Daily Telegraph, 15 August 2006

Terror threat? Blame Muslims and Labour

Posted on by Bob Pitt

“Make no mistake, this terror threat is the fault of both the Muslim community and New Labour…. Labour’s complete immigration incompetence has fundamentally changed the character of this country and severely jeopardised our security. And Blair still goes on holiday! No wonder over 50 per cent of Brits want to get out of this septic isle. They are sick of being taxed to death by this Government and smeared as racist if they complain about unchecked immigration. They are being forced out of their own land….

“Labour are still not willing to do the single thing that could help solve this problem, which is to rip up the Human Rights Act NOW. This one single piece of legislation has effectively turned our capital city into Londonistan. The act is exploited by extremists and allows them to stick two fingers up at our laws and values. They’re aided and abetted by leeching lawyers while the more vocal sections of the Muslim community like to wallow in their own self-pity amid claims of social deprivation and Islamophobia….

“People have been remarkably tolerant since 7/7 but the bare-faced cheek of sending an open letter to Blair demanding a change in our foreign policy could act like a red rag to a bull.”

Jon Gaunt in The Sun, 15 August 2006

‘We will ban MCB’, fascists boast

Posted on by Bob Pitt

“The recent letter by various Muslims in the UK and Muslim organisations demanding changes to British foreign policy is an act of unparalleled arrogance…. UK foreign policy has nothing to do with causing Islamic terrorism in the world today as the apologists say – it is solely Islam that is the basis of Islamic terrorism not UK foreign policy…. The BNP intend to ban all so called ‘Religious Organisations’ such as the Muslim Council of Great Britain that openly support an overt political agenda, get involved in political campaigns or that interfere in political issues.”

BNP news article, 15 August 2006

‘We must stand up to Islamo-fascism’, says Harold Evans

Posted on by Bob Pitt

“History tells us it takes a long time to rouse the British, though once roused they see things through. Maybe the latest terrorist outrage [shouldn’t that read “alleged terrorist outrage”? Or are arrested Muslims deemed automatically guilty? – ed.] will give second thoughts to all those well-meaning battalions of left and right and leaders of the Muslim community who have yet to see an anti-terrorism measure they approve. No to 90 days to question suspects; no to identity cards; no to selective telephone monitoring; and yes, in the name of free speech, to the radical mullahs brainwashing deluded youth.”

Harold Evans at Comment is Free, 15 August 2006

‘A poisonous puritanism is crippling Islamic thinking’ – Times

Posted on by Bob Pitt

“Islam needs a reformation, but many of its opinion leaders recognise that they will not benefit from a more tolerant, less ideological religion. They see Islam and their role in Islam as immutable, and denounce as apostates men, and women such as the Canadian Irshad Manji especially, who call for a renaissance of critical thinking. But unless there is more respect for such calls, more tolerance of women’s rights and views and less fear in denouncing extremism, the government dialogue with Muslim leaders will yield little. Only when moderation commands the respect, credibility and allegiance of more Muslims will the nexus with terrorism be challenged.”

Times editorial, 15 August 2006