This week's Observer newspaper reported that the British Foreign Office issued a warning about a year ago that the Iraq War was stirring Muslim unrest in Britain. In a letter from the British Foreign Office Permanent Undersecretary, Michael Jay, to the British Cabinet Secretary, Sir Andrew Turnbull, it said that British foreign policy was a 'recurring theme' in the Muslim community, 'especially in the context of the Middle East peace process and Iraq'.
'Experience of both ministers and officials ... suggests that ... British foreign policy and the perception of its negative effect on Muslims globally plays a significant role in creating a feeling of anger and impotence among especially the younger generation of British Muslims.'
I find this very disturbing. This letter implies that if Muslim hotheads get upset about a particular policy, it must be dropped. The subtext is clear - no foreign policy is worth the risk of terrorist attacks. Does the British Government believe in its presence in Iraq, and its role in bringing about a peaceful transition in that country? I assume it does. If Britain believes in its foreign policy, it should have no reason to allow Muslim passions to block it.
And another thing. How does British foreign policy on the Middle East peace process upset the younger generation of British Muslims? We all know that Tony Blair has gone out of his way to promote the peace process, and has pushed President Bush to prioritize it (albeit with limited success). I would have thought that young British Muslims would support this policy.
For me, the telling point of the letter is this, and I quote: 'This [British Foreign Policy] seems to be a key driver behind recruitment by extremist organisations (e.g. recruitment drives by groups such as Hizb-ut-Tahrir and al Muhajiroon).
We now have the answer to our question. British Foreign Policy might just as well stay clear of the Middle East because extreme organizations such as Hizb-ut-Tahrir and al Muhajiroon will be upset by it. Of course Hizb-ut-Tahrir will be upset by British policy on the Middle East peace process. They are opposed to any peace in the Middle East, if it means that Israel is allowed to exist. They detest most of the Arab States in the Middle East since they are unIslamic. Indeed, they are opposed to any Middle East which does not take the form of an Islamic Caliphate.
Although these extreme organizations do not represent all British Muslims, it is they who seem to set the tone in the British Muslim community. Unfortunately, it is their voices we hear rather than those of the moderates.
This letter from the British Foreign Office tells us everything we need to know about the cowardice at the heart of the British diplomatic and political establishment.
