After five years of what is called the war on terrorism, we now have the report written by the Deputy Assistant Commissioner Peter Clarke, head of the Anti-Terrorist Branch in Britain. He states in the report that his country is threatened and that this is very worrying. The British Intelligence and Security Committee approves and supports him. The committee says that in 2001, the internal intelligence system listed some 250 suspected terrorists. The number had doubled in 2004, jumping up to 500 — all Muslims. In the year that followed, the number of suspected Muslim terrorists was 800.
When the London bombings happened in 2005, the number of Muslim suspects increased to thousands. British intelligence neither wanted to give the estimated numbers nor does it intend to do it in the near future. The sudden increase in the number of suspected Muslim terrorists coincided with the sudden increase in terrorist and violent acts in Britain just as the security authorities expected.
After the attacks on London’s public transport system in July 2005, it was announced in August this year that a group of twenty people had been arrested. They were accused of being involved in planning to bomb airplanes flying to the US. On Sept. 2, 16 people were arrested under the new terrorism law. According to the authorities, each terrorist group is an individual entity and not linked to one other. Experts conclude that there are a number of suspected cells with terrorist plans.
Muslim communities in Britain were not the only voice to emphasize the fact that the Blair government policies in the Middle East and his support for the US had had negative effects. Their strategies were blamed for extremism among Muslim youth in Britain. English educators and analysts approved of this analysis and urged the youth to express their views and opinions in different mass media outlets.
BBC reporter Peter Taylor, who spent a year investigating the terror threat, asked Clarke roughly how many people the police were looking for, believing they could be involved directly or indirectly in terrorism.
Clarke said: “I don’t want to play the numbers game; I don’t think it’s helpful. All I can say is that our knowledge is increasing and certainly in terms of broad descriptions, the numbers of people who we have to be interested in are in the thousands.”
In a parallel development, German police announced that the cartoons which ridiculed the Prophet and were published in Western newspapers were the motive for the plot to bomb German trains in late July. The German Westdeutsche Allgemeine reported a Sept. 2 announcement by the head of Germany’s Federal Crime Office Joerg Ziercke in which he told reporters he was confident that they had caught the right suspected bomber in Kiel. He noted that their main suspect Yousuf Al Hajj Deeb had admitted during the investigations his bomb plans after the cartoons were published last year.
But what does all this really mean?
People don’t really need to do much investigating in order to see that the campaign carried out in the name of war on terrorism has been a colossal failure. The campaign was used to enlarge and generalize the terrorism circle. This is a very important point to highlight. It’s actually very puzzling how decision makers in countries which initiated the war in Iraq won’t admit this truth. They insist on pursuing the same policies that have made things worse.
In the midst of all this, you can’t help but be astounded when reading George Bush’s remarks. He said if we weren’t able to vanquish terrorism in Iraq, Americans would have to fight it in their streets. Reading between his lines raises one’s doubts about Muslim Americans and Westerners in general.
In the last five years, the Islamic world has witnessed countless investigations and reviews. Supposedly, these were in response to the assumed war on terrorism. Regardless of our opinion concerning the validity or accuracy of these procedures, after they were executed there was never any step forward from the other side. This indicates that there is a re-examination process from their side with respect to the policies and incidents that aggravated and humiliated the Islamic consciousness. They are also reconsidering their media tactics that defame Muslims and inflame their feelings.
To continue such attitude against Muslims does not seem to augur well. Provoking hatred against Islam and Muslims awakens resentment and hatred in the Western citizen against Muslims, especially Muslims living in the West. (Some 25 to 30 million Muslims live in Europe and the US). It’s natural that these elements widen the gap between Muslims and their surrounding communities. I’m not just talking; this is what has actually happened not only in the US where Islamic organizations are addressing an increase of hatred toward Muslims in different states, but in Europe too. Until recent years, we’ve always thought that Europe was closely related to the Arab and Islamic world and therefore, more understanding and cooperative. Although this reality is still somewhat valid, we can’t deny the fact that fear and worry have managed to make themselves felt, even in Britain, the country known for its multiculturalism.
In Spain, the country with a special place in the Arab memory and one considered a friend to Arabs and Muslims, many recent incidents have illustrated resentment and fear of Muslims. Some airplane passengers in Spain refused to board a flight because there were Muslims among the passengers. Under these circumstances, the coexistence of Muslim and Western communities is not only threatened but in great danger. There is no room for cultural dialogue or discussion. What’s more dangerous is that the environment is still ready for more violent acts that might involve more Muslims who live in these areas.
What’s the solution then?
Unfortunately, there seems to be none. The Islamic and Arab world does not have a leader who can solve the problem. On the other hand, Western politicians — whom we can hear protesting — are not fully aware that Western policies in the region are the most influential factor in aggravating rage among Muslim communities in Europe and the US.
Therefore, they can’t really see the root of the problem and they insist on dealing with the situation based on their assumptions and stereotyped ideas. They do not want to admit that their persistence in humiliating Muslims is the main reason for the problems they’re facing. Other economic, cultural, or social factors come next when addressing the situations of Palestine and Iraq and other crimes in Afghanistan and Lebanon.
We’ve read Bush’s announcements about the necessity for dealing with the main reasons for the problem — which is good. However, we realize at the end that finding out the main reasons for the problem means surrendering to the solutions that Israel wants and those which meet the US’ ambitions to take over the region.
The Arabs’ voices become husky because of the ongoing conversations and debates about stopping the violence and the necessity for justice. Apparently, nothing can be achieved inside or outside the Arab world as long as Israel’s terrorism exists, not only in Palestine but also in Lebanon and both alongside the Iraqi occupation.
