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British
Muslims have repeatedly complained of maltreatment by police for
no apparent reason other than being Muslim.
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The
Met Assistant Commissioner said he is consulting with the Muslim
minority on a three-point engagement plan to promote cooperation
between the police and British Muslims.
He
maintained that he intends to set up ways for the Muslim minority to
police themselves under a safety and security organization, encourage
young people into community activities and help identify problems,
with active participation of the police.
The
Muslim officer said mosques in Britain should undergo a form of
self-regulation with rules of engagement, such as the promotion of
Muslim imams born and educated in Britain, who understand the context
of Muslims living in British secular society.
He
also stressed that mosques should become the focal point of the Muslim
minority.
The
British officer, however, did not oppose clamping down on mosques if
they proved to be what he termed centers of preaching subversion and
illegal activities, according to the daily.
“Some
of the back-street mosques, yes,” he told the business daily, when
asked if he would like the authorities to close mosques down.
British
Prime Minister Tony Blair unveiled Friday, August 5, new sweeping
anti-terror powers.
The
measures include deporting and excluding foreigners who are accused of
"condoning and inciting violence" and closing worship places
used for "fomenting terrorism".
They
also include stripping people of their British nationality if proved
acting against British interests.
Stop-and-Search
The
British Assistant Commissioner acknowledged that the Muslim minority
was becoming concerned with police stop-and-search techniques.
But
he maintained that stop-and-search techniques, although fraught with
risks, were essential for the police.
“As
an operational tool, it’s the right thing. What you also say [to
officers] is, please don’t stop people randomly, have some
information or intelligence, or have reasonable suspicion, and having
stopped them, treat people with respect and dignity, and do it
professionally.”
He
admitted that there had been some disproportionate stop-and-search
operations of Muslims in the aftermath of the London attacks, but the
police had to be able to take a pragmatic and uncomplicated approach
to the tactic.
“This
is a testing time for us, there will be proportionality issues.”
British
Muslims have repeatedly complained of maltreatment by police for no
apparent reason other than being Muslim, citing the routine
stop-and-search operations.
Senior
British parliamentarians admitted August, 2004 that anti-terrorism
laws are being used “disproportionately” against the Muslim
minority.
Pending
Deportation
In
another development, ten foreign nationals were detained Thursday in
various parts of Britain as they allegedly pose threat to the British
national security, Home Secretary Charles Clarke said, Agence France
Presse (AFP) reported.
"According
to my power to deport individuals whose presence in the UK is not
conducive to the public good for reasons of national security, the
Immigration Service has today detained 10 foreign nationals who I
believe pose a threat to national security," said Clarke in a
statement issued by the Home Office.
"They
will be held in secure prison service accommodation and I shall not
disclose their names."
But
the BBC News Online revealed that Jordanian Abu Qatada, who is subject
to a control order, was among the ten detained foreigners.
Abu
Qatada was one of the so-called Belmarsh detainees, detained in the
high security jail without charge for around two years.
He
was eventually released but made subject to a control order or virtual
house arrest.
He
has been sentenced in his absence to life in prison by a Jordanian
court in relation to a series of explosions there.
