After bombings, some say "Londonistan" bears blame

[sabra]

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http://in.today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=worldNews&storyID=2005-07-13T004301Z_01_NOOTR_RTRJONC_0_India-209094-1.xml

After bombings, some say "Londonistan" bears blame
Tue Jul 12, 2005 7:32 PM GMT

By Mark Trevelyan, Security Correspondent

LONDON (Reuters) - Did Britain's past tolerance towards high-profile Islamist militants help sow the seeds for last week's London bombings?

Critics say a long tradition of granting asylum to Middle East dissidents at risk of jail, torture or death in their own countries helped foster the emergence of a dangerously radical Islamist scene.

This earned the British capital the nickname "Londonistan" in some foreign intelligence circles -- an ironic tag with connotations of central and south Asian militancy.

"At the end of the day, Britain's attachment to tolerance has brought it nothing but death and desolation," said European security analyst Claude Moniquet, describing London as "the world capital of militant -- and even armed -- Islamism".

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[Maple]

1. And the Saudis

who moved freely around the US until they attacked on 911??

[fedsron2us]

2. The suspects came from Leeds in West Yorkshire

not London and are more likely to represent the ethnic divisions of the North of England than life in the capital of the UK. It also seems that they are of Pakistani origin not Arabs from the Middle East.

[muriel_volestrangler]

3. And the 3 who have been indentified were (are?) British citizens

one whose father apparently runs a fish and chip shop (can you get more British?)

[tenshi816]

4. I've debated with myself about posting this

about my personal experience, but here goes.

The article linked to doesn't explore nearly enough how many young, impressionable British-born Muslims fall prey to the teachings of extremists.

When 9/11 happened, I was in full-time study as a "mature" student at the University of Bradford in West Yorkshire. The city of Bradford has a huge Muslim population and the University itself has a Muslim population of about 20%.

One day in the first week after the new academic year began in September 2001, I was walking from the university to the train station behind a couple of laughing young men, both presumably Asian students (given that we had emerged from the same university building at the same time). Gradually I tuned into their conversation and realised they were talking - and laughing - about 9/11, and saying that it was too bad the attacks hadn't killed more people.

The following week I sat down for a lecture and saw the words "Taliban will kill you all" carved into the desktop where I was sitting (and it was still there when I graduated in 2003). During the same week there were flyers on the university's notice boards inviting Muslim students to attend lectures where it would be explained why 9/11 was justified.

I've said elsewhere on DU that I decided not to let 9/11 change how I lived my life, but I nevertheless felt uncomfortable enough about those things to speak to my personal advisor, who told me that she would look into it, but she subsequently told me that free speech was allowed at the University and they couldn't do anything about it. Fair enough, I thought, but on the other hand if someone had carved "Death to Muslims" on a desk in a lecture room it would've been sanded off immediately. Likewise, if a group had tried to organise lectures with anti-Muslim (or any other anti-minority) sentiments, its notices would not have been allowed on any university notice boards, and rightly so.

What I'm trying to say, having seen it first hand, is that yes, tolerating extremism of any kind is wrong. It doesn't matter the religious leanings, the ethnicity, whatever - any group that is allowed to publicly advocate the elimination of another group is wrong. There are always people who are prepared to take such exhortations to heart and act accordingly.

Edited to change a word or two.

[T_i_B]

5. Who wrote this crap - Robert Kilroy-Silk?

The article seems to be trying to suggest that all we need to do is shut our borders and deport anyone whose religious views we don't like and our problems will somehow be solved. Not so I'm afraid.