I noted the jujitsu-like ability of British Muslim leaders to turn the threat of terrorism to their advantage in "Piggybacking on Terror in Britain." But the specifics documented there pale in comparison to the aggressive comments just made by Muhammad Abdul Bari, head of the Muslim Council of Britain. The Daily Mail recounts:
Britain will face have to deal with up to two million Islamic terrorists unless there is an end to ‘demonising' of Muslims, the leader of the most influential Muslim organisation has said. Treating all Muslims as if they were terrorists will encourage large numbers to become terrorists. … Dr Bari declared: "Some police officers and sections of the media are demonising Muslims, treating them as if they are all terrorists, and that encourages other people to do the same. If that demonisation continues, then Britain will have to deal with two million Muslim terrorists, 700,000 of them in London. "If you attack a whole community, it becomes despondent and aggressive."
Comment: It remains to be seen how effective this aggressive tactic will be. I am inclined to give it poor prospects, as non-Muslims will likely reject the implicit threat – give us special treatment or we will wage a civil war on you. Moreover, were such a civil war actually to come to pass, Muslims being a small minority could not realistically hope to win it. (September 11, 2006)
Sep. 12, 2006 update: Richard Littlejohn responds in the Daily Mail, using choice words and sound logic to expose Abdul Bari:
With exemplary tact and exquisite timing, the ‘leader' of Britain's Muslims chose the eve of the fifth anniversary of 9/11 to warn that we are facing the threat of two million home-grown Islamic terrorists. The preposterous, self-aggrandising ‘secretary-general' of the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB), Muhammad Abdul Bari, predicted an angry backlash against what he perceives as widespread ‘Islamophobia' in this country. …
Perhaps while the Muslim Council is accusing others of bigotry it would like to share with us its enlightened views on homosexuality and arranged marriages. ‘Islamophobia' is just another of those catch-all, smear-the-messenger fantasies dreamed up to close down debate and stifle free speech. When you examine closely Bari's latest outburst, it is nothing short of monstrous. What he is saying is that every Muslim in this country is a potential terrorist. If anything is guaranteed to increase suspicion of Muslims it is incendiary statements like that.
The anniversary of the attacks on America should be an occasion for sober reflection and remembrance. But the MCB has never met an atrocity it didn't try to exploit. Their tactic is always the same. After their perfunctory condemnation of terrorism, there's always the caveat about British foreign policy in the Middle East and the assertion that the real victims are not those who have actually been blown to smithereens but Muslims themselves. While they could never condone what has happened, we are invited to understand the anger and alienation which cause young men to turn themselves into human bombs.
