Britain - Muslim Terrorism: Whose Fault?

We are repeatedly told that the radicalization of British Muslims arises from poverty and alienation. These stories are written so as to make Muslims appear as the victims and that we as society are not doing enough to accomodate them - it's our fault. Which is rich given the welfare state that is Britain.

How many times do we have to prove that terrorism has nothing to do with poverty. Muslim terrorists are well educated, financially sound and come from good homes. See here and here.

Well, obviously with Britain's welfare system and the fact that Muslim terrorists are all well off, poverty is not the problem and it's not our fault.

What about alienation, the second evil twin that is our fault for radicalization of Muslims?

The New York Times reports "...only 33 percent of Muslims said they wanted more integration into mainstream British culture."

Hmmm. I see, give us your money and leave us alone.

What about the Muslim terrorists who bombed London, were they poor and alienated and was it our fault?

Well, they weren't poor, they never are. So, there's no poverty to be our fault.

This report deals with the alienation issue.

Walking in their section of the neighborhood the typical English red-brick row houses notwithstanding feels like being in Lahore or any other town in Pakistan.

In fact, the Asians here may even be more attached to their Pakistani values than many back in their ancestral towns. In a way, time seems to have stopped.

Elders many of whom do not speak English well even though they have lived here for decades maintain their strict customs. Perhaps more so as they regard the society here as alien, immoral and corrupting for their children.

Then why come here in the first place, or for that matter, remain? Oh, right, welfare state, better paying jobs, better housing, etc etc.

So, whose fault is it that they are not integrating?

``My parents forbade me to speak English at home,'' Tanver Akhtar, who was born here 33 years ago, said in her strong Yorkshire accent. Her parents still have difficulty speaking the language of their adopted country.

Akhtar wears a shalwar kameez because ``I want to be like others. I feel more respected by my community.''

When she finished high school, her parents told her she could not go to university. ``They thought I might get off track,'' she said. Because she was brought up to obey her parents, she consented.

And now, she says, she is expected to obey her husband, whom she married out of love after struggling for years to get her parents' approval. They had wanted her to marry a cousin, a tradition in her community.

Akhtar said she feels half British and half Pakistani. Then adds: ``My parents were very strict, so I guess I feel more Pakistani.''

She was not allowed to go out very much on her own, socialize like her English classmates or neighbors. She was to pray five times a day and cover her hair.

She speaks Urdu to her neighbors, to the local butcher and grocer, and even to her 4-year-old daughter, Suman.

She said she would certainly allow her daughter to go to university, but not to date boys or marry an English man. ``It's totally wrong because he won't be a Muslim,'' she said.

Who are the bigots here?

Where does all this leave us? It's obvious that Muslim radicalization has nothing do with poverty and alienation and therefore it cannot be our fault.

The article goes on to prove both points.

Now, with al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden's global appeal to wage jihad or holy war against the West, the attention of some youths may have turned to more extremist matters, said Hanif. Since the first Gulf War in 1990-91 when militant Islam started taking root, anger against Western policies has been felt in his community.

But no one, he said, had ever approached him or tried to indoctrinate him.

Amer, 20, and his brothers said they had not been approached by militant recruiters either, even though they live only a few blocks from Tanweer's affluent home in Beeston.

``We think it's political and nothing to do with religion,'' said Amer. ``Someone brainwashed them.''

First off, remember it was Saddam who invaded Kuwait and started the first gulf war.

It's no surprise these guys were not recruited, al Qaeda only wants well off and well educated Muslim terrorists, those that fit into British society. Notice they live near "Tanweer's affluent home in Beeston".

And as we'll see it has everything to do with one religion - Islam

Al Qaeda has broader plans and those that do not fit the mold though are ripe for anti-western propaganda.

LEEDS, England (AP) Amear Ali remembers how the film images clicked by in rapid-fire sequence to a soundtrack of pounding drums: dead Iraqi children, Palestinians under siege, Guantanamo prisoners, snippets of President Bush repeating the word ``crusade.''

``You could see how it could turn someone to raw hate,'' said Ali, recalling his brush last year with the hard-edged marketing of extremism at an Islamic bookstore operated by his brother-in-law.

``It even started working on me. Then I said to myself, `Get out. This stuff is poison.''' [...]

``So someone comes along and says, `Muslim are oppressed, Muslims are being killed by the West,' and so on,'' said Ali, whose late father emigrated to Britain from Pakistan. ``For some young lads who are confused and feel alienated, it's a powerful thing to hear. If it happened with young Muslims here, it's happening everywhere.''

Ali said he first noticed outsiders coming into Beeston in the late 1990s speaking about Muslim causes and identity. He said they were always well-spoken, fluent in English and often dressed in the traditional shalwar kameez, a loose tunic-and-trouser outfit common in Pakistan and across South Asia.

Ali said the men were always vague about their affiliations never mentioning al-Qaida or any of the Muslim groups in Britain and first offered only generalities about the importance of prayer and following Islamic codes.

It is these recruits that are sent off to fight in Afghanistan and Iraq - connon fodder.

We are not at fault. The fault lies with Islam. The world needs to wake up to this reality and challenge Muslims to reform their barbaric religion.

UPDATE

For those that still don't believe that poverty does not breed Muslim terrorists, I present for your reading pleasure.

The previous evening, Tanweer, who had been studying sports at college, had greeted friends cheerfully as he drove his brand-new red Mercedes-Benz.

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