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Countering the Terrorists who Operate within British Communities

03/07/2007
Letter published in The Telegraph

Sir - The latest attempt to bring chaos and carnage to the citizens ofBritain appears again to be the result of internet-fuelled"over-the-counter" copycat terrorism, undertaken by highly motivated anddangerous amateurs.

It emphasises the fact that, although several terrorist attemptsfortunately failed to result in loss of life, probably owing toamateurism and mistakes made by terrorists rather than any lack ofcommitment, there is a criminal element within our own communities whichis hell-bent on hurting British economic interests. Its members alsoharbour deep-rooted hatred towards many aspects of the Western way oflife that are deemed to be in contradiction to their own fundamentalist,regressive and inflexible views on religion, personal freedom and civicliberties.

It is alarming that such hard-line views often find passive andsubliminal support from within Muslim communities, who increasingly viewthemselves as part of a greater Muslim nationhood that suffersunjustifiably as helpless victims in the global war on terror.

In the absence of much-needed introspection by the British Muslimcommunities and of aggressive condemnation of such criminal acts bytheir self-proclaimed leaders, they must at least ensure that moral andmaterial support is wholeheartedly offered to the Government andsecurity services. They must keep British interests above any loyaltiestowards their co-religionists and cultural traditions.

Dr Shaaz Mahboob, Hillingdon, Middlesex