There is no point being in denial ... Muslims will be more likely to organise around and identify with their religious identity, both at home and abroad, so long as they feel attacked as a result of their religious identity. There is no sensible conversation you can have about Islamic identity that does not address what is happening to Muslims locally and globally.... The war on terror did not create Islamic fundamentalism but it has exacerbated it. The government should not change its foreign policy because it makes Muslims angry (it should change it because it is immoral, ineffective and makes virtually the entire world angry). But nor should it treat this anger as though it were the unpredictable response of fanatics who don't watch the news and operate in isolation to world events.
It does seem to me that the problem with neocon type responses that are about the iron fist, is that they only ramp up the problem.
Fundamentalists only thrive at times of crisis. At certain moments for certain identities they offer not just the easy way out but what can seem like the only way out. To be serious about combating them one must first be serious about tackling the crisis that gives them leverage. Only when you offer an alternative and more attractive route out of that crisis can you isolate the leaders and win over the followers. To do so is not indulgent but intelligent.
Yes, indeed. Hope is a powerful motivator. Destroy it and you create desperados who become the monsters we project them to be, but morally, we will share the blame. Jesus warned us that those who were the cause of others stumbling had to face up to their responsibilities.
Guardian Unlimited | Comment is free | To fight these reactionaries we must tackle the crisis that they feed off:
Filed in: terrorism, Islam, UK, identity
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