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December 3, 2006

UK: Thinktank Blames Government For Muslim Animosity

Demos is a leading think-tank which is influential within the Labour government, and is responsible for many ideas which later become government policy. In September, Demos was headed by Madeleine Bunting, the Islam-appeasing left-wing columnist from the Guardian. With only journalistic experience and an opinionated ego to justify her position, the management of Demos decided that she had to go. Bunting's departure was announced on October 19. She had served barely a month in the position. Currently a more intelligent but equally leftist individual temporarily heads the group - Catherine Fieschi, who is a member of the Fabian Society.

Reuters announces today that Demos has produced a report which blames the government for breeding resentment amongst Muslims, and leading some to extremism and violence.

The report, entitled "Bringing it Home" is not available online, but a copy can be obtained by emailing bringingithome@demos.co.uk. On December 4, there will be a launch for the report, attended by several Muslims. It should be noted that no Muslims wrote the report - only three white middle-class leftist women members of Demos's staff: Rachel Briggs, Dr Catherine Fieschi and Hannah Lownsbrough.

The summary of the launch is reproduced from their website here:

This event launches the Bringing it Home pamphlet by Rachel Briggs, Dr Catherine Fieschi and Hannah Lownsbrough.

It argues that we need to put communities at the heart of our approaches to counter-terrorism for four reasons. First, they offer important sources of information and intelligence. Second, communities picking up these signs are best placed to act pre-emptively to divert their young people from extremism. Third, while the state must also play a role, communities must take the lead in tackling problems which either create grievances or hinder their ability to organise, such as poverty, poor educational and employment attainment, and the paucity of effective leadership and representation. Finally, the police and security service cannot act without the consent of the communities they are there to protect. Security is delivered though consent and never through force, arguing that Muslims should tolerate inconveniences for the greater good, fails to understand this.

The report is the culmination of a 12 month research project looking to identify effective ways of tackling home grown terrorism through the active engagement of Muslim communities. It involved research in London, Leicester, Leeds and Birmingham, over 100 interviews with Muslim community members, local police, community officials and national policy makers, and a conference at Wilton Park in March. The research has been supported by ACPO, DCLG, ESRC and AHRC

Those attending the launch of the pamphlet will include Abdul Haqq Baker, chairman of Brixton Mosque, Azad Ali, chair of the Muslim Safety Forum, Shareefa Fulat, director of the Muslim Youth Helpline, the Islamist supporter of terror Tariq Ramadan, Salma Yaqoob of Birmingham City Council and Dilwar Hussain, head of an Islamic Foundation called the Policy Research Unit.

The Home Secretary, John Reid, claimed on Sky News that Demos' report was outdated. He said foreign policy could not be blamed for international terrorism. He conceded: "Because we say it isn't a primary or significant cause of the growth of international terrorism.... that is not to say that it isn't one of the motivating factors for young Muslims in this country. We recognise that. We recognise we need to engage with young Muslims over this. Anybody who has got a degree of poverty, lack of opportunity or anybody who has been made a victim of terrorism has some cause for grievance."

If many British-born Muslims are in poverty, then perhaps they have only themselves to blame for their poor academic achievements. If Muslim extremism exists, it is because world-wide, Islam is mounting a campaign for dominance, and any pretext - Israel and Palestinians, not being allowed special rights or thinking Islam is not respected - can be employed to justify hostility against the infidel. And Islam, as specified in the Koran and the Hadiths, is itself extremist, and hostile to non-Muslims.

Reuters gives some quotes from the report, which states: "In the meeting rooms of Whitehall, ministers were assuring Muslim leaders of the need for partnership. But in press briefings they were talking of the need for Muslims to "get serious" about terrorism, spy on their children, and put up with inconveniences in the greater good of national security."

If Muslim youth are engaged in extremism to the extent that they may commit murder in the name of their "religion", then it is every citizen's duty, Muslim parents included, to identify them and have them stopped. For the report to condemn this is just another example of appeasement and in a patronizing manner casting Muslims as "victims". They do that themselves, without any need from middle-class white women in Demos to encourage it.

The authors of the report have not, it appears, really examined the true cause of Islamic radicalism, Islam itself, because that of itself is too radical and objective an approach. If the Koran condones acts of war against infidels and numerous Hadiths also support warfare against infidels and hostility to Jews, Christians and pagans, then to ignore this in any report on Muslim extremism is dishonest.

Numerous Muslim groups and individuals on August 12 published an open letter in the national press. This is the letter:

Protect civilians wherever they are

Prime Minister,

As British Muslims we urge you to do more to fight against those who target civilans with violence, whenever and wherever that happens.

It is our view that current British government policy risks putting civilians at increased risk both in the UK and abroad.

To combat terror the government has focused extensively on domestic legislation. While some of this will have an impact, the government must not ignore the role of its foreign policy.

The debacle of Iraq and now the failure to do more to secure an immediate end to attacks on civilians in the Middle East not only increases the risk to ordinary people in that region, it is also ammunition to extremists who threaten us all.

We urge the prime minister to redouble his efforts to tackle terror and extremism and change our foreign policy.

Attacking civilians is never justified. This message is a global one. We urge the Prime Minister to redouble his efforts to tackle terror and extremism and change our foreign policy to show the world that we value the lives of civilians wherever they live and whatever their religion.

Such a move would make us all safer.

Sadiq Khan MP, Shahid Malik MP, Mohammed Sarwar MP, Lord Patel of Blackburn, Lord Ahmed of Rotheram, Baroness Uddin, Association of Muslim Schools, British Muslim Forum, Bolton Mosques Council for Community Care, Confederation of Sunni Mosques, Midlands Council for Nigerian Muslim Organisations, Council of Mosques - London & Southern Counties, Council of Mosques - Tower Hamlets, Da'awatul Islam UK & Eire, Federation of Muslim Organisations (Leicestershire), Federation of Students Islamic Societies (FOSIS), Indian Muslim Federation, Islamic Forum Europe, Islamic Society of Britain, Jama'at Ahle Sunnat UK, Jamiat Ahl-e-Hadith UK, Jamiat-e-Ulema Britain, Lancashire Council of Mosques, Muslim Association of Britain, Muslim Council of Britain, Muslim Council of Wales, Muslim Doctors and Dentists Associaion, Muslim Parliament, Muslim Solidarity Committee, Muslim Students Society UK & Eire, Muslim Welfare House (London), Muslim Women Society (MWS), Muslim Women's Association, Northern Ireland Muslim Family Association (NIMFA), Sussex Muslim Society, The Council of European Jamaats, UK Action Committee on Islamic Affars, UK Islamic Mission, UK Turkish Islamic Association, World Federation of KSIMC, World Islamic Misssion, Young Muslim Organisation UK, Young Muslim Sisters (UK), Young Muslims UK

Basically, this myth that the Muslim community has chosen to maintain - that if Britain removes its troops from Iraq and Afghanistan (and probably severs ties with Israel) then Muslims extremism will disappear along with threats of terror - is a poor excuse for Muslims' own responsibility in allowing extremism to develop. Violence is at the heart of Islam. To deny this to stick one's head in the sand, or to live in a fool's paradise.

The authors of the Demos report similarly prefer to buy into the myth. It is so much easier to blame the government for Muslim extremism, rather than the global movements for jihad which have been proliferating since 1992, and which use the internet, video and Koranic literature to inspire young Muslims to embrace violent Jihad. And these jihadi Muslims are following the same Islam as the so-called "moderates", only the jihadis do it with more honesty and sincerity.

UPDATE: When this article was written, the report was not available from Demos' site. However, with thanks to reader JohnM, the report "Bringing it Home" is now available, and can be downloaded as a pdf document HERE.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at December 3, 2006 4:01 PM

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Posted by: JohnM at December 6, 2006 5:49 PM

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