MCB - Scrap Prevent and Change Foreign Policy

A favourite line of Islamists is that all Islamist terrorism is the result of foreign policy and that to end terrorism we must change our foreign policy to fit in with their demands. In short they advocate that we surrender to the demands of the bombers (or at least some of the demands).

The MCB has put on its website its response to the inquiry about Prevent. They essentially call for it to be scrapped and say that it could never work anyway because foreign policy must change. The key bits are paragraphs 7 and 8:

7. Significant amounts of public funds have been invested in the Prevent programme. The monitoring and intelligence gathering agenda of Prevent are matters that best reside within the National Security Strategy. It was an error to have contaminated the way a department like Communities and Local Government is publicly perceived by placing national security concerns in its orbit. Community development and cohesion policies ought to apply to all communities fairly and equitably, based on need.

8. While the focus should be on a criminal and policing strategic response, the MCB appreciates the need to explore the underlying causes. However, there seems to have been an expectation that community bodies, by showing ‘leadership’, can wave a magic wand and ask young people to remain oblivious to international political developments at the root of the frustration – not least the injustice in Palestine that has lasted well-nigh sixty years.

If there's one thing we mustn't do to stop terrorism it is to give in to the demands of the terrorists. And groups that shout from the sidelines that we should surrender should be compared to the bloke who watches his mate punch you in the face then suggests that you should pay up to stop it happening again.

Islamists Push "Jewish Control"

As we reported a few days ago the Jewish Board of Deputies (a communal organisation) wrote a submission to the Commons' Communities and Local Government Committee for their inquiry into the 'Prevent' strategy. (see here, and here for my thoughts on Prevent). In the submission they suggested that it was probably best not to give money to Islamist organisations as part of a plan to stop the spread of Islamism. Among the groups mentioned was the Muslim Council of Britain and this has annoyed other Islamists. Their response - push the angle that Jews are too powerful.

At Engage (the Islamist organisation run by MCB spokesman Inayat Bunglawala) the story ran under the headline:

UK Jewish body sets conditions for government engaging with MCB

Is it reading too much to consider the title to be deliberately misleading with the aim of giving the impression that the "Jewish body" is somehow forcing a change rather than simply advising one?

And then we have MPACUK with their headline:

Islamophobia within the Jewish community questioned as JBoD attacks MCB

It doesn't say who's doing the questioning so we can assume that it is MPACUK itself. Moreover, note that the headline talks of the "Jewish community" then the article starts of talking about the "Jewish Zionist community" before accusing the Jewish community as a whole of having a problem with Islamophobia.

In the last paragraph of the article they also push the "Jewish control" line:

It is the height of arrogance for a Jewish group to tell our community what political views we can and cannot hold, it is also a sign of its immense political power that it can dictate to the Government who they should talk to, but most telling it shows that rampant Islamophobia within the community has reached its most powerful groups and governs its policies towards our community.

In the minds of Islamists, it seems, being Jewish and mentioning your concern about the funding of Islamists by an anti-Islamist programme and this amounts to dictating to the Government in a demonstration of your control.

Bailing Islamists

Last year we reported that members of Al Muhajiroun who had been arrested for inciting hatred at the Danish cartoon protests had been released on bail. At the time we pointed out that an Al Muhajiroun leader, Anjem Choudary, had similarly been treated too leniently over that protest.

The Sun reports today that after having been arrested for his role in that protest he was released on bail, and while on bail he advised fellow Islamists how they could avoid being arrested for their parts in the incitement.

This once again underlines the dangers of Islamist leaders who do not carry out attacks themselves but radicalise others to do so. And allowing them out on bail on the premise that they pose no harm fails to take into account this radicalisation.

Rajib Khan Revealed

A few weeks ago six men were arrested for financing terrorism abroad. At the time we revealed that each one was a member of Al Muhajiroun, except one man, Rajib Khan. New research would imply that Rajib Khan was a spokesman for Al Muhajiroun who used the name Abu Omar. Below is a photograph taken from two different Islamist websites both run by Ahlus Sunna Wal Jama'ah (the new name for Al Muhajiroun). The one on the right is identified as Rajib Khan, and the one on the left was identified as Abu Omar.

The picture also appears on the website of Trinity College Dublin's Philosophical Society. It was taken at a debate in 2005. Other Islamists at the debate, judging from the photos, include Anjem Choudary, Abdul Rehman Saleem and Umran Javed, all well known members of Al Muhajiroun.

In 2003 a spokesman for Al Muhajiroun using the name Abu Omar described the 19 9/11 terrorists as "magnificent" and said that any Muslims who argued were "apostates".