Posted on 08/01/2005 3:19:54 PM PDT by Tumbleweed_Connection
Home Office ministers yesterday launched an initiative to foster relations with Britain's Muslim community in the wake of the London bomb attacks as a row broke over "racial profiling" in the use of stop and search by the police.
The counter-terrorism minister, Hazel Blears, said she would be holding eight meetings with Muslim leaders around the country during the next few weeks to "discuss the challenges they share with the government", including engaging with young Muslims and tackling extremism.
Article continues At the same time Ms Blears appealed to MPs across the country to take soundings from local communities on how to tackle the issues. The home secretary, Charles Clarke, is to come up with "concrete proposals" on how to improve community relations at the end of the summer.
The Home Office outlined seven areas for debate yesterday, including how to work most effectively to track down criminals, particularly increasing reporting and information to the police, monitoring and tackling race crime effectively, and stopping terrorist activity in all its forms.
"At the end of the eight meetings the home secretary will host a talk with Muslim leaders on September 20 to discuss concrete proposals," a Home Office spokesman said.
The initiative was announced as the British Transport police revealed it was to target specific ethnic minority groups for stop and search as part of the security response to the London bombings.
Ian Johnston, the British Transport police chief constable, told the Mail on Sunday that his officers would be targeting groups most likely to present the greatest threat. "Intelligence-led stop and searches have got to be the way ... We should not waste time searching old white ladies."
The chief constable said he was confident there was every sign that the Muslim community understood the predicament the police faced and they would continue to receive the support of the community, even if young Asians were to become the focus of most police searches on the London transport network.
But the human rights group Liberty said such "racial profiling" could prove a disaster: "If you search people of a particular race or description while letting others through, it doesn't take long for a terrorist group to learn ways of placing their lethal cargo with those that don't meet the profile," said Liberty's director, Shami Chakrabarti. "The chief constable has just played into the hands of those who want to recruit terrorists."
But Ms Blears defended Mr Johnston: "What it means is if your intelligence in a particular area tells you that you're looking for somebody of a particular description, perhaps with particular clothing on, then clearly you're going to exercise that power in that way.
"That's absolutely the right thing for the police to do."
Hey, don't give these people any ideas...
Hey, don't give these people any ideas...
Political correctness gone wild.....
But how do you really feel?? LOl!! I love the truth and the way you put it! Did you provide the coaching for John Bolton?
Yeah, I coached Bolton not to be so mild mannered and soft spoken. I let him know Bush has his six when he goes to kick Booty at KofiPuppet's UN. I just am salivating at the upcoming news reports when Bolton goes to the UN and the Libs start foaming at the mouth.
I also coached Bolton to seal the deal on the UN's Building...transferring it to the Donald ( He needs to give the new Mrs. Trump something to keep her busy cause he can't keep up>) That way Clinton has an excuse to go to Paris to make his speeches at the UN !
HEY....MOOSELEEMS... got your Street Demonstration together yet? The terrorists are shaking in their sandals at the thought of your outrage! (right.)
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