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Britain has 10,000-15,000 Qaida supporters-leaked report
Britain signalled its commitment to its Muslim community on Sunday as a leaked document revealed a project to "win the hearts and minds" of Islamic extremists and al Qaeda sympathisers. The government project codenamed "Contest", which was leaked to the Sunday Times newspaper, suggested Britain might be harbouring as many as 10,000 al Qaeda sympathisers. "We donât comment on leaks, but the government is taking its relationship with the Muslim community very seriously," said a government spokeswoman. "But that is only one part of the strategy against terrorism."Moderate Muslim preachers would receive state funding under the plan, while radical foreign imams would be asked to pledge allegiance to the British way of life or face a ban, said the Sunday Times, claiming to have seen over 100 pages of secret documents. "The aim is to prevent terrorism by tackling its underlying causes to diminish support for terrorists by influencing relevant social and economic issues," cabinet secretary Sir Andrew Turnbull was quoted as saying in a letter prior to a May 19 meeting to discuss "Contest". The project is said to have been prompted by the March 11 attacks on Madrid commuter trains, killing 191, and the discovery of over half a ton of bomb making material in a London warehouse two weeks later. "Muslim-friendly workplaces" could be set up, along with moderate Muslim television and radio stations. In a note to Home Office permanent secretary John Gieve, Turnbull called for a blueprint to win "the hearts and minds" of Muslim youth. "Al Qaeda and its offshoots provide a dramatic pole of attraction for the most disaffected," he wrote. "The broader task is to address the roots of the problem, which include discrimination, disadvantage and exclusion suffered by many Muslim communities." More than half of Britainâs working-age Muslims are economically inactive, while 16 percent of them have never worked or are longterm unemployed -- five times the national average, according to a Home Office audit cited at the May 19 meeting. Between 10,000 and 15,000 British Muslims actively support al Qaeda, said another paper. Many Muslims are angered by the "double standards" of British foreign policy in the Middle East, it added. Democracy is preached, but oppression of the Ummah (the global Muslim nation) is practised or tolerated, for example in Palestine, Iraq, Kashmir and Chechnya," said the paper. Posted by: TS(vice girl) 2004-05-30 |
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