Posted on 07/03/2007 9:36:19 AM PDT by Eurotwit
Gordon Brown has banned ministers from using the word “Muslim” in connection with the terrorism crisis.
The Prime Minister has also instructed his team – including new Home Secretary Jacqui Smith – that the phrase “war on terror” is to be dropped.
The shake-up is part of a fresh attempt to improve community relations and avoid offending Muslims, adopting a more “consensual” tone than existed under Tony Blair.
However, the change provoked claims last night that ministers are indulging in yet more political correctness.
The sudden shift in tone emerged in comments by Mr Brown and Ms Smith in the wake of the failed attacks in London and Glasgow.
Mr Brown’s spokesman acknowledged yesterday that ministers had been given specific guidelines to avoid inflammatory language.
“There is clearly a need to strike a consensual tone in relation to all communities across the UK,” the spokesman said. “It is important that the country remains united.”
He confirmed that the phrase “war on terror” – strongly associated with Mr Blair and US President George Bush – has been dropped.
Officials insist that no direct links with Muslim extremists have been publicly confirmed by police investigating the latest attempted terror attacks. Mr Brown himself did not refer to Muslims or Islam once in a BBC TV interview on Sunday. Ms Smith also avoided any such reference in her statement to MPs yesterday.
She said: “Let us be clear – terrorists are criminals, whose victims come from all walks of life, communities and religions. Terrorists attack the values shared by all law-abiding citizens. As a Government, as communities, as individuals, we need to ensure that the message of the terrorists is rejected.”
Tory backbencher Philip Davies said: “I don’t know what purpose is served by this. I don’t think we need pussyfoot around when talking about terrorism.”
But former Tory homeland security spokesman Patrick Mercer said: “This is quite a smart idea. We know that the vast majority of Muslims are not involved in terrorism and we have to accept there are sensitivities about these matters.”
This bodes ill for the Brits. One can’t defeat an enemy if one can’t even identify him, but then, our President still insists Islam is the religion of peace, so I guess we’re all in the same boat.
Where did they find this pussy?
They are all going to die a very violent death. Soon. This kind of PC helps the terrorists realize how easy it will actually be.
I’m sorry to say that this is the Gordon Brown we all know. And the Conservative leadership will be racing to outdo him in apologizing for any suggestion that Muslims are involved.
, Yeah, even while they burn the Queen in effigy ! But, they really like her !
Call them gerbils.
Wow. That pretty much sums it up.
Cops Keep the Faith [Muslim/UK]
Bedfordshire on Sunday ^
Posted on 07/31/2005 1:21:57 PM EDT by boadecelia
POLICE have been told to take their shoes off and not use sniffer dogs when raiding Muslim homes.
An 18-point guide issued by Bedfordshire Police lists dos and don'ts when dealing with Muslims who are suspected of terrorist or drugs offences.
The guidelines, which were reissued last week, state that 'the Muslim community feels victimised and suspicious of counter terrorist police operations and in the current climate a search at a British Muslim household has the potential to become a critical incident and come under intense scrutiny'.
It then lists 18 points police officers should note.
These include:
• Rapid entry needs to be the last resort and raids into Muslim houses are discouraged for religious dignity reasons.
• Police should seek to avoid looking at unclad Muslim women and allow them to dress and cover their heads.
• For reasons of dignity officers should seek to avoid entering occupied bedrooms and bathrooms.
• Use of police dogs will be considered serious desecration of the premises and may necessitate extensive cleaning of the house and disposal of household items.
• Advice should be sought before considering the use of cameras and camcorders due to the risk of capturing individuals, especially women, in inappropriate dress.
• Muslim prisoners should be allowed to take additional clothing to the station.
• If people are praying at home officers should stand aside and not disrupt the prayer. They should be allowed the opportunity to finish.
• Officers should not take shoes into the houses, especially in areas that might be kept pure for prayer purposes.
• In the current climate the justification for pre-dawn raids on Muslim houses needs to be clear and transparent.
• Non-Muslims are not allowed to touch holy books, Qurans or religious artefacts without permission. Where possible, Muslim officers in a state of 'Wudhu' should be used for this purpose.
A Bedfordshire Police spokesman said: "The guidelines are regularly issued to all staff as a reminder of the force protocol when entering a Muslim household.
"We take very seriously the culture surrounding all faiths and feel it is important to respect those beliefs, even while carrying out police business.
Someone should be taking bets on when the whining is going to begin, especially if some of those arrested are released due to "lack of evidence."
Well you are going to have a hard time getting Brits to go to the doctor if we focus on their profession.
Is their career path the reason for their terrorist campaign?
Pure lunacy. I’ll never understand why people insist on appeasing people who want to exterminate them. I mean, they already hate you and want you dead, fer Pete’s sake. What could you possibly say to exacerbate the situation???
the entire unpleasantness can be resolved with a rousing match of croquet, don’t you know !
How about “The War On Exceedingly Rude People”?
Hmm, it’s so difficult to figure out what all those names have in common... let me think... ummm... besides being all male... I can’t quite put my finger on it.
“our President still insists Islam is the religion of peace”
...in all fairness, Jorge Boosh hasn’t referred to Islam as peaceful for a long time. This was pointed out by Rush and/or Hannity.
I don't think the term "bad" will be allowed.
Seriously, though, the treatment of terrorists as common criminals is typical of an early stage in a terror conflict, not the one we're in now. The latest bunch in GB happened to be laughably incompetent, and even they came within two blasting caps of a major tragedy. The next bunch might not be.
Men of England, turn in your testicles.
>>>>>But former Tory homeland security spokesman Patrick Mercer said: “This is quite a smart idea. We know that the vast majority of Muslims are not involved in terrorism and we have to accept there are sensitivities about these matters.”<<<<<<<
The vast majority of Germans were not involved in the National Socialist party or the Holocaust.
The vast majority of Chinese were not members of the Communist party or involved in the mass depopulation of large cities.
The vast majority of Russians were not members of the Communist party or involved in Stalin’s “Great Terror” and the secret police.
I could go on and on, but you get the point. If there were folks on my street willing to cut off my head, rape my wife, kill my son - and as an added bonus remain hidden until asked to come forth - I’d be hard pressed to stand up by myself and speak out against “extremism.” Think about the impact of organized crime on a community and how witnesses never seem to see the crimes committed by the criminals among them. (If this isn’t an argument for a society based on Western concepts of rule of law, nothing is.)
The solution? An army to fight those you want to see defeated. At that point, the “vast majority” might feel empowered enough to stick their necks out, depending on local conditions and local assessment about the power of the “extremists.”
So it looks like the next prime minister STILL doesn’t have a clue. *sigh*
And WHY are there "sensitivities" about it?
It's probably true that "the vast majority of Muslims are not involved in terrorism ", but it's a KNOWN FACT that the vast majority of terrorists are involved in Islam.
Apparently so!
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