Has the UK Taken Political Correctness Too Far?
By Bonnie Chernin Rogoff (07/10/05)
It is with great sadness that my husband and I viewed the carnage of the London subway bombings on July 7th. Our heartfelt sympathy goes out to the families of the dead and wounded. Having spent almost a year on various business and pleasure trips to London, we are very familiar with both the tube stops and surrounding neighborhoods impacted by these horrific acts of fanatical terror.
The Edgware Road tube stop is near Paddington Station. Exiting Paddington Station and walking along Edgware Road is like a trip to Baghdad. Middle Eastern men linger outside small cafes playing checkers and smoking fragrant tobacco from large hookahs. A quick move south into Hyde Park reveals numerous Muslim men and their families. On Sundays the preachers of hate rant at Speaker’s Corner. Approximately 15,000 radical Islamic fanatics are imbedded within this influx of residents and visitors to London. Few voices have been raised against this very viable Fifth Column within the UK’s own borders.
The second location for a terror strike was the King’s Cross station. Used as both a local commuter hub for multiple tube lines and a staging point for trips to northern England and Scotland via Great North Eastern Railway trains, it was an excellent location to maximize terror. Both residents and tourists would be the likely innocent victims.
Aldgate station is located in the heart of The City, London’s financial district and almost directly across the Thames River from London City Hall, home to its leftist mayor, Ken Livingston. Livingston has endorsed an “open door” policy of understanding and acceptance of radical Islamic leaders and imams. This naïve and dangerous philosophy includes the radical imam Abu Hamza Al Masri, former head of the Finsbury Park mosque. This mosque had such infamous members as Richard Reid (the Shoe Bomber) and Zarcarias Moussaoui (dubbed the 20th September 11th hijacker).
The political correctness accorded Hamza is outrageous. The British government has spent over 1.6 million pounds to build a mosque inside his prison for prayers. Hamza was charged on October 14, 2004 with 16 crimes, including encouraging the murder of non-Muslims and intent to stir up racial hatred. He is being held in Belmarsh Prison until his trial, which began on July 5, 2005, is completed. This “holy man” is also wanted in Yemen for the attack on the USS Cole.
The bombing of the double-decker bus near Russell Square and the British Museum eerily reminded us of the homicide bus bombings in Israel. The British Government and Metropolitan Police want to avoid having to admit a suicide bomber committed this horror. An exclusive Debkafile analysis reveals that all the casualties may have been the work of suicide bombers. It is estimated that upwards of six to eight suicide bombers wearing small explosive vests accomplished this terrorist act. Security experts derived their conclusion based on the size of the bombs used and the examination of the wreckage of the bus indicating two bombers, not one. Many British Muslims are highly educated, having spent time in religious institutions in Arab countries that include military training and bomb making as part of the curriculum. Perhaps a group of al-Qaeda militants that had no previous ties to the UK or known terrorist cells entered the country posing as tourists to execute these attacks. Either the British intelligence services were negligent or the authorities were reluctant to “offend” potential Muslim suspects.
Future attacks would be difficult to prevent without drastic and politically difficult actions. It would be necessary to remove the terror threat by expelling known radicals and their supporters and shutting down mosques. Immigration and visitation policies would have to be revamped to address this new and deadly threat.
Prime Minister Blair has little stomach for such drastic actions. His unwavering support for the United States action in Iraq nearly cost him the recent election. President Bush speaking at the G-8 Summit sounded more like a Dodge City marshal than the leader of the still free world, categorizing the aftermath of the bombings as a police action. The other European leaders provided the necessary sullen faces and usual platitudes regarding this latest terror attack.
We need to understand that what is happening in London and other free countries confirms the continuous threat by Islamic fascists. We are in the middle of a religious war where Christians are viewed as “crusaders” and Jews as “evil.” These views can never be purged from the minds of vicious murderers. Only strong consistent approaches to this worldwide threat can perhaps stem the tide of terror. Laws and public opinion must be changed and political correctness pushed aside. Let’s not forget the famous words of the Spanish born philosopher, George Santayana in his book, The Life of Reason. “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”
Copyright by Bonnie Chernin Rogoff. All rights reserved.
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