Muslim-majority countries may be the main source of terrorism, but the leaders of these states generally take a harder line against their Islamists in opposition than do their Western counterparts.
This makes sense, for (1) all this is quite new to Westerners but not to Muslims and (2) terrorism out of the West now threatens Muslim-majority states.
(Case in point: British-based terrorists have carried out operations in at least 13 foreign countries: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, France, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kenya, Pakistan, Tanzania, United States, Yemen.)
Here are some examples of Muslim leaders giving their Western counterparts a piece of their minds on the need to be tougher of Islamism in general and terrorism in particular:
Palestinian Authority: Yasir Arafat was quoted expressing "surprise and anger" at reports that high-level Hamas figures met with senior U.S. officials in April 1995 (Davar, April 24 , 1995).
Egypt: Husni Mubarak expressed dismay in 1995 that the U.S. government: "Your government is in contact with these terrorists from the Muslim Brotherhood." He complained that "this has all been done very secretly, without our knowledge at first" (The New Yorker, January 30, 1995). When Mubarak went further and accused the U.S. government of supporting terrorism, the Islamist intellectual 'Adil Husayn called this charge "ridiculous" and defended the United States (Ash-Sha'b, February 3, 1995).
Tunisia: Zine El Abidine Ben Ali deplored the attitude of the U.S. government with regard to "the enemies of freedom" who have found refuge in the West. He calls fundamentalism "a totalitarian approach which excludes all virtues." He added: "Fundamentalism is your problem now: I mean it is the problem of Paris, London, and Washington. France, Great Britain, and the United States serve as the rearguard headquarters for fundamentalist terrorists" (Le Figaro, August 2, 1994).
Pakistan: President Pervez Musharraf castigated the British authorities for putting free speech ahead of counterterrorism. "They should have been doing what they have been demanding of us to do — to ban extremist groups like they asked us to do here in Pakistan and which I have done." Specifically, Al-Muhajiroun and Hizb ut-Tahrir, two groups he accuses of calling for his own assassination, should have been prohibited. "They could have banned these two groups. Good action is when you foresee the future and pre-empt and act beforehand, instead of reacting as in the case of Britain — which waited for the damage to be done and is now reacting to it." Musharraf noted that he had taken counterterrorism measures that the UK has yet to implement. As a result, it has become Islamist Central: "Many people around the world find it convenient to leave their countries and go to Britain, which they regard as a safe haven as it wants to project itself as a champion of human rights. But now they [the British] have to reconsider and take action against these groups." (July 31, 2005)
Saudi Arabia: Prince Turki, the outgoing Saudi Ambassador to London, castigated Tony Blair for having "repeatedly failed to tackle radical Muslims in his backyard." He said he went "around in circles" during his 2½-year posting, unable to make the British understand the dangers posed by Saudis linked to al-Qaeda and living in London. Turki expressed frustration at being shunted around Whitehall by departments unwilling to take responsibility. "When you call somebody he says it is the other guy. If you talk to the security people, they say it is the politicians' fault. If you talk to the politicians they say it is the Crown Prosecution Service. If you call the Crown Prosecution Service, they say, no, it is MI5. So we have been in this runaround for the last two and a half years." (August 10, 2005)
