The writer is a London-based broadcast journalist and writer. He tweets at @adilshahzeb
The majority of Muslim scholars, community leaders and politicians that I interviewed, urged the Muslim community for introspection. Muslims in Britain admit that they have, perhaps, failed to integrate fully into the wider British society but they also believe that the responsibility of growing radicalisaiton lies with the West, too. The most interesting interview that I conducted while reporting on the root causes of the growing radicalisation was of a British Pakistani Pashtun Saleem (Sully) Rehman, 33, who served in the Parachute regiment of the British Army for eight years. The interview for me summed up the problems and dilemma of those British-born Muslims, who remain hesitant to consider the UK as their home country.
Despite facing pressure from his fellow Muslim friends and others, Rehman opted for a job that the majority of British Muslims even today won’t consider as a career. Rehman’s parents migrated to the UK in the 1960s from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. He was born and bred in the UK. He acknowledged that he was once almost ready to join a British radical group but thoughts of a dark future saved his career and he joined the British Army as the first Pashto-speaking British soldier. Today, he is really proud of his decision as many of his friends, who fell for radical views, ended up working in takeaways and restaurants.
British Muslim scholars and politicians do recognise that there is no real acknowledgement of the religious meetings that take place within mosques. Many Muslim children, with English as their first language, attend religious classes daily, taught by a non-British Muslim scholar whose first language is not English. In British Minister Lord Tariq Ahmad’s words, foreign imams have brought their own stream of Islamic radicalisation into the UK, which he refers to as “imported radicalisation”. So, when these kids go to colleges and universities, they become an easy target for radical Muslim groups. Thus, the responsibility for Islamic radicalisation here shifts towards the British government, which has failed to counter the radical preachers and their followers in British educational institutions. The British government does recognise that countering growing Islamic radicalism poses a real threat to the UK, but deciding what is a precise way forward to address the root causes of extremism still seems a difficult task for the authorities.
The Woolwich attack has not only unleashed questions about growing radicalisation among British Muslim youth but also drawn attention to rising Islamophobia and anti-Muslim hate crime. It highlighted the vicious circle of radicalisation and Islamophobia, which exists in the wider British society. Although various British governments have worked immensely in trying to integrate the radical British Muslims, many believe that they have, perhaps, failed in their efforts. The killing of Lee Rugby in al Qaeda style not only reflected the failure on the part of the British intelligence in combating the radical Islamists but it became clear, once again, that a small British Muslim minority exists, which would naively wish to see the “Islamic republic of Britain” in Europe, one day.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 4th, 2013.
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COMMENTS (41)
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@Faraz Kakar: -- "Why are you so narrow-minded? What are you doing on our newspaper? Don’t you have your own newspapers to discuss issues. We don’t need your comments."
The famous gene of intolerance has shown its face.. Sir when logic / rationale is exhausted the force comes in. . Solicit your opinion .
@Maria: Its simply untrue, and a denial of reality of an ideological crisis which appeals to such mindsets. Its prejudicially and falsely passing blame to few nationalities and poverty, when many Arabs and non-Arabs, including Pakistanis, got caught in North America and globally for terrorism. Over 250 folks are monitored for terrorism in Canada, not all are crazy European Canadian radicals.
After the Boston Bombings by Chechens, a Tunisian and a Palestinian were arrested for a VIA rail bomb plot. The Toronto 18, arrested years ago, half were of Pakistani backgrounds, their leader a Jordanian, and only one convert from Guyana. The 2 militants found in Algeria from London, Ontario, one was a Greek convert, the other was an Arab, both suppose to be in university. Momin Khwaja, an intelligent well off Pak-Canadian, conspired with British extremists. Many UK radicals, were not all poor and not living off the welfare dole. There's the Egyptian Al Khadr's, the Al Qaeda royal family, in Canada. David Headly, half Pakistani, half American, convicted in US for his Mumbai role. Faisal Shahzad, Pak, working. A Bengali student arrested in New York. And 9/11 by well off Saudis, etc.
Canada has called the threat right. The common thread to all of them above is religio-political Sunni Islamist extremism, not poor ethnic groups or mental Euro Canadians. The sooner we realize it instead of being in delusional denial, the better we can address it, even in Pak.
@Anand: @Vivek:
Why are you so narrow-minded? What are you doing on our newspaper? Don't you have your own newspapers to discuss issues. We don't need your comments.
@Maria:
That is simply untrue, and a denial of reality of an ideological crisis which resonates with such mindsets. Its prejudicially and falsely passing the blame to few nationalities and poverty, when many Arabs and non-Arabs, including Pakistanis, have been caught in North America and globally for terrorism. Over 250 individuals are watched in relation to terrorism in Canada, not all of them are crazy European Canadian radicalized converts.
After the Boston Bombings, by Chechens, a Tunisian and a Palestinian were arrested for a plot to blow up VIA rail in Canada. The Toronto 18, arrested years back, more than half were of PAKISTANI backgrounds, their leader was a Jordanian, they had only one convert from Guyana among them. The 2 militants found in Algeria from London, Ontario, one was a Greek convert, the other was an Arab, both suppose to be doing their university studies. Momin Khwaja, an intelligent and well off Pakistani Canadian, wanted to provide technical know how to British Islamists. Many UK Muslim radicals that took part in terrorist conspiracies, were not all poor and not living off the welfare dole. There's the Egyptian Al Khadr's, the Al Qaeda royal family, in Canada. David Headly, half Pakistani, half American, convicted in the US for his Mumbai role. Faisal Shahzad, Pakistani, married, working. A Bengali student was arrested in New York, etc. And of course 9/11 was committed by well off Saudis.
Canada has called the threat right. The link and common thread to all of them above is religio-political Sunni Islamist extremism, not poor ethnic groups or mental Euro Canadians. The sooner we realize it instead of being in delusional denial, the better we can address it, even in Pakistan.
@Anand
That is called "ENTITLEMENT" brother. Since the earth belongs to the muslims, they are doing favor to the kafirs for even LIVING in the first place.
It seems every other nation is under an obligation to understand its Muslims. Do Muslims have any such obligation towards their compatriots?
@mind control
"I am shocked at Lala Gee agreeing with Durbullah."
I am shocked as well. Looks more like someone playing some mischief here.
@Lala Gee:
Very well said. Agree completely.
I am shocked at Lala Gee agreeing with Durbullah.
Durbullah had said, Looks like only Muslims have problems integrating everywhere. Even in Muslim countries, they have problems with other sects.
If Muslims have trouble living with everyone else them what happens to TNT. Should it not be 'One Against all Else Theory' or some such philosophy?
@bigsaf: The planned attack in Canada was not by Muslims but just crazy European Canadians who were thankfully discovered. In North America Pakistanis are well assimilated but the Muslims from Afghanistan, Somalia and Iraq live on welfare. Many of the the Muslims in UK are on welfare and don't work. We need to admit the real problem in the UK is that Muslims there live in poverty and often don't have jobs but live on welfare which is money from other tax payers. If they were assimilated in society, they wouldn't become so easily radicalized. They need to work and get assimilated - as they say in the UK, they need to get off the dole!
@Faraz Kakar: you are right in noting that this is not a hindu-muslim competition. but you still miss actual context, the reason why muslims accuse western countries of "Islamiphobia" and no such equivalence exists with Hindus, Jains, Buddhists, Zoroastrians or even Shintoists. And notably, most of these people share geography, culture and common ancestry with muslims.
@Haha: I can't believe how ET moderators post ignorant and Islamophobic comments yet they don't post rational comments I submit.
That's is why I am proud to be an American of Pakistani descent, because apart from Faysal Shahzad, the vast majority of Pakistani-Americans have assimilated very well into mainstream american culture and society, I think the major reason is that the majority of Pakistani immigrants in America came from urban Pakistan and they were well educated professionals with liberal values, kinda like the people that make up ETs readership.
The problem with British Pakistanis is that they mostly come from a rural working class background usually from either Kashmir or Punjab, so when they go to Britain they experience a big culture shock, and considering the fact that Britain is an old world culture unlike America, they have a much harder time assimilating into British society.
One way to change this is by tightening immigration, and giving Muslim families incentives to move out of ethnic enclaves and into more mixed neighborhoods where they can blend in with other people and be a part of the community.
High skilled immigrants rarely commit crimes, it's usually working class immigrants or refugees(such as in Boston) that commit crimes.
That being said, I believe there many Muslim role models in Britain for British Muslims such as Amir Khan,Nasser Hussain,Zayn Malik,Owais Shah and Riz Ahmed.
In America, eventhough Muslims are better off and far more successful than our brethren in Europe, we don't have many famous Muslims apart from Muhammad Ali.
@Vivek: @Iqbal
Guys, I think the debate was not about Hindu Muslim competition here. Its great that Hindus are doing better than Muslims in the UK. Good for them. They were and are more advanced compared to Muslims in the subcontinent too. Why is it so, is a completely different topic. The findings of the 10 years report that @Iqbal very kindly researched and quoted is not surprising. Personally, I think It is unfair to compare Muslims and Hindus of subcontinent (and therefore in the UK). I wonder what the state of progress would have been among the Hindus if the an alliance of 40 countries led by the US had invested billions of USD for more than a decade to brainwash their young generations, radicalising them, destroying their schools and using them as foot soldiers to defeat another superpower. Lastly, for me, the progress of Hindus in the UK, is the progress of the people of subcontinent and I take it positively. This last comment is a caution so you don't misunderstand me again :)
Only Muslims have problem every where . Now they blame secular countries like UK . Why this writer is not mentioning the real cause ? Real cause is Islamic ideology and teachings . Unless and Until you accept the real cause , you can't cure the disease . To call a spade a spade , this religion is a monolithic religion and believes only in its survival . But fact is that this religion itself is a threat to its own survival.
@Iqbal
Very well put. Thanks for the links. It was an eye-opener.
@Vivek
@hatfxx When elimination of islam is enjoined upon religion ASDF, how can we say wishing ASDFism of Britain is naive – it is the logical thing to wish for.
Most of us, I should believe have access to a normal dictionary, but not to an SMS dictionary. Though I have no problem with the message of your posts.
have you ever seen US right wing media or interacted with any African Americans? The bias that African Americans have to endure in US much more than what Muslims have to go through in UK. There are more number of instances of racial profiling in US than in UK.
@Faraz Kakar: .....perhaps weshould also question the unfair role of media that terrifies and brainwashes people Your logic appears to be flawed. It should have said "perhaps we should also question the unfair role of madrassas and mosques that terrifies and brainwashes people" Incidentally, gp65's claim of a serious flaw between hindus and muslims is shown in this UK government's report: www.parliament.uk/briefing-papers/sn04334.pdf We, muslims continue to be backward whereas our hindu brothers and sisters have advanced so far in the West that they have also overtaken the local people. See: http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2002/feb/20/race.immigrationpolicy Had the above two articles been in India then you all would have jumped on the wagon and claimed that the muslims are discriminated. This is in UK where all people are equal and the facts speaks for themselves. Our future looks grim and I have no shame in saying that our downfall is round the corner unless we do a deep soul searching exercise and reform our religion.
@hatfxx
Ok here you go.
When elimination of islam is enjoined upon religion ASDF, how can we say wishing ASDFism of Britain is naive – it is the logical thing to wish for.
@faraz kakar
The time for polemics is almost over or it is already gone. The reasoning, like you have put forward, is irrelevant to non muslims. Unfortunately, muslims seem incapable of understanding that.
Why there is a tendency to blame others too by Pakistani including the author for the problem ? . A victim mentality. Need for introspection.
''Yet prison population of Muslims is around 10 times that of Hindus''
@gp65: A small question. The proportion of African American to White American in US prisons is more than the Hindu-Muslim prisoners proportion in the UK. Can the same argument be applied to them too? I think the issue is more complex and one community or one value cannot be blamed for it alone. The continuous aggressive portrayal of Muslims as extremists by the western media is an important reason of Islamophobia. Crime statistics will tell us that extremist militancy in developed countries harms as many people as other violent crimes (in fact far less than the later) but it receives a lot more projection in electronic and print media. While terrorism needs to be fought at every front until eradicated, perhaps weshould also question the unfair role of media that terrifies and brainwashes people.
A sizable segment of the British-Pakistani families in the UK are deeply religious (which in itself is not a bad thing). But the reasons of this religious inclination are complex and important to understand. I think the secular/liberal values of the British society still terrify British Pakistani families - especially the parent generation. It is this fear of liberal values that forces parents to seek the help of conservative religious teachers to teach their children especially girls. It is an important factor that stands in way of their integration in the British society. But.. having conservative religious and cultural values is not the sole reasons that prevents integration. Xenophobia among the native British people especially the youngsters, economic competition and many more factors are equally important. As for the million dollar question of how much does this tendency predispose the young generation to extremist militancy? Personally... I think the proportion of militants in population with conservative religious inclination is more or less the same as the proportion of violent criminals in general population. Its just that the press and media in Europe finds extremist violence more sexy to report these days. Otherwise, far more people are killed and injured in gang violence and robberies in the same cities.
@Durbullah:
Very well said.
@Hatf XX: Well then, lage raho. Don't complain about Islamophobia then.
@3rdRockFromTheSun @BruteForce @Durbullah @Feroz
Very well said. Agree completely.
"Muslims in Britain admit that they have, perhaps, failed to integrate fully into the wider British society but they also believe that the responsibility of growing radicalisaiton lies with the West, too."
How long will you say that? The society has given equal rights to all, Muslims included. They have never stopped the construction of a Mosque, nor preaching of Islam. They have given citizenship without considering Religion of a person. None of this is available in many Muslim societies(You will be jailed for preaching any other Religion than Islam, forget constructing Churches and Temples. No citizenship offered also)
These are the same rights given to Hindus as well, they have integrated beautifully. They are almost equal in numbers, as @gp65 pointed out. Yet, no one even has to mention problems of integration to such a community.
Why is that?
West is not the problem, nor are its citizens. There is no un-justified phobia of Islam.
For once, put the blame squarely on where it belongs, in stead of trying to be politically correct and "sharing blame" where it doesn't belong.
If West indeed is part of the problem, can you explain why India, Ethiopia, US, Australia, China, Russia and other many, many countries are facing the SAME EXACT problem. These countries, again, never have problems with, say Hindus, or Buddhists, or Sikhs.
Can someone explain why is it so?
For once dump the PC, start saying things like it is. If you take PC too far, you start breaching the borders which separate a lie from a truth.
I prefer the truth, how about the @Author?
It could be retaliation in response to all the wars being waged in their lands in last decade or so. Radicalization is a propaganda word. After WW II Japanese were the most radicalized folks, and then communists became radicalized.
There is need for introspection as to why Muslims get radicalized and not Hindus, Sikhs, Christians, Jews or Zorastrians. Hatred for others is taught very early either in homes or Mosques. No Government can help in tackling this menace.
If people cannot assimilate or are unable to appreciate the benefits of civil liberties, free speech and democracy, they would be better off living in countries they originated from. Islamophobia is a bye product of Muslims believing in Jihad and willing to kill to impose their views on others. Whether these views are subscribed to by a minority or majority is quite irrelevant to others. No believer in any religion other than Islam thinks their religion is in danger, not even Zorastrians who are hardly hundred thousand in number. The World is not about numbers, what earns respect is how people conduct themselves as represented by their actions. Preaching to the World I am the best, when my deeds convey the opposite, fools nobody.
Islam will not survive without reformation, I think what is needed is transformation. Time and tide waits for no man, the faster the change the sooner Peace will come.
Looks like only Muslims have problems integrating everywhere. Even in Muslim countries, they have problems with other sects. Christians, Jews, Budhists, Hindus, Jains, Sikhs don't have problem integrating.
If discrimination is a cause for radicalization, i fail to understand why we don't have Hindu or christian radicals in Pakistan as they are more discriminated against than Muslims in the West.
Yes there is some anti Muslim bias in the West. But really it is a drop in the ocean compared to Islamic radicals, Muslims eradicating non Muslims in Muslim majority countries, and Muslims killing other Muslims who are infidels. So please let us put it in perspective. No wonder Muslims vote with their feet whenever they get a half a chance to move to Britain.
- A sensible brit
@3rdRockFromTheSun:
Nicely put. Exactly.
@author: " ... Although various British governments have worked immensely in trying to integrate the radical British Muslims, many believe that they have, perhaps, failed in their efforts. ... "
The migrant must integrate. Not the other way round.
When Da'awa is enjoined upon us, how can we say wishing Islamization of Britain is naive - it is the logical thing to wish for.
Islamic Republics dont work -Iran and Pakistan are cases in point.
"...Thus, the responsibility for Islamic radicalisation here shifts towards the British government, which has failed to counter the radical preachers and their followers in British educational institutions. ..."
The govt is in a bind : at the first sign of the Brit govt trying to control / restrict such 'imported imams' or monitoring what is taught in the mosques; guess who would be the first to cry 'racism'? And the extremists know this well and use the very freedoms granted to them by the Brit govt / laws to spread their hate! And this problem is not just in Britain, but also in other countries in Europe, Canada and US!
It is the responsilibity of the 'so called moderate majority' among Muslims to ensure that such radicalization does not take place. So don't pass the buck and avoid the blame.
Very well said and explained the true facts
Its not just British Muslims. Though they may have faced the worst alienation and have the stronger connection back homes, particularly British Pakistanis, making them most receptive of the negative ideologies for radicalization, it is not just only them.
For example, even as far away as Canada, the number one foreign and domestic threat is religio-political Sunni Islamist extremism of the Wahhabi/Salafi kind. Just yesterday a bomb plot in British Columbia was thwarted, that was to be carried out by self-radicalized converts inspired by Al Qaeda ideology.
This is a global phenomenon. There should be a govt and global tackling of the problem but the onus should be on local communities honestly introspecting these religio-political ideologies and beliefs and realize we are in an ideological crisis, which is why its difficult to address.
To those British Muslims who long for a Muslim land, have you considered packing you bag and moving back to the places your parents came from? Then you might experience the pleasures and horrors of living in those Muslim lands that you profess your love so much. Please do consider it. PS: I am not British or even a European therefore I have no fish to fry here.
Yeah, Adil! Spot on!