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Blair
was warned that
Iraq
war was making
Britain
seen as a "crusader state".
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CAIRO,
August 28, 2005 (IslamOnline.net) – A leaked secret memo warned
British Prime Minister Tony Blair a year ago that the Iraq war was
fuelling extremism at home and making Britain seen as a crusader
state, a leading newspaper revealed Sunday, August 28.
"British
foreign policy and the perception of its negative effect on Muslims
globally plays a significant role in creating a feeling of anger and
impotence among especially the younger generation of British
Muslims," Foreign Office Permanent Secretary Michael Jay wrote,
reported The Observer.
"This
seems to be a key driver behind recruitment by extremist
organizations," he wrote to Blair's Cabinet Secretary Sir Andrew
Turnbull.
Four
young British Muslims attacked three
London
underground trains and a bus on July 7, killing 52 people.
An
apparent bid to repeat the attacks on July 21 failed and police have
arrested four people they say were behind it.
One
of the four would-be bombers told investigators they were motivated by
the
Iraq
war and not by religious fervor, denying any link to Al-Qaeda network.
In
an obvious retreat from his earlier stance, Blair recently
acknowledged that the
Iraq
war was being used to recruit terrorists.
The
London-based Royal Institute of International Affairs, known as
Chatham House, said the
Iraq
war has given a momentum to Al-Qaeda's recruitment and fundraising and
made
Britain
more vulnerable to terrorist attacks.
A
report from
Britain
's Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre (JTAC), obtained by the New York
Times newspaper, said events in
Iraq
"are continuing to act as motivation and a focus of a range of
terrorist-related activity in the
UK
".
Foreign
Policy
The
letter, entitled 'Building Bridges with Mainstream Islam', said
British foreign policy in the
Middle East
was "a key driver" for the recruitment of extremists.
It
noted that British foreign policy was a "recurring theme" in
the Muslim community.
"Colleagues
have flagged up some of the potential underlying causes of extremism
that can affect the Muslim community, such as discrimination,
disadvantage and exclusion.
"But
another recurring theme is the issue of British foreign policy,
especially in the context of the Middle East peace process and
Iraq
," said the letter.
It
underlined the need for better engagement with British Muslims on
policy issues, and in convincing young Muslims that they have a
legitimate and credible voice, including on foreign policy issues.
Crusader
A
strategy document attached to the letter, also obtained by The
Observer, warned that
Britain
was viewed as a "crusader state", on a par with
America
.
"Muslim
resentment towards the West is worse than ever," it said.
"This
was previously focused on the
US
, but the war in
Iraq
has meant the
UK
is now seen in similar terms - both are now seen by many Muslims as
'crusader states'."
The
document said Mike O'Brien, then a Foreign Office minister, has
expressed his concern because their work on engaging with Islam has
been "knocked back".
It
outlined a list of 11 "work streams" to discourage
extremism, including delegations to the Islamic world, ministerial
briefings for key members of the Muslim community and receptions to
mark key Muslim festivals.
The
documents revealed deep divisions at the heart of government over
home-grown religious extremism and its connections to British
intervention in
Iraq
.
Blair
has consistently said that the bombers were motivated not by a sense
of injustice but by a "perverted and poisonous misinterpretation
of Islam."
But
Jay's letter shows that the Foreign Office was convinced that foreign
policy played a key role in radicalizing young Muslims, the paper
said.
"For
the government to deny a link between the war in
Iraq
and dismay among the Muslim community is ridiculous," Liberal
Democrat home affairs spokesman Mark Oaten said.
"But
to try to cover it up, when senior civil servants have recognized the
seriousness of the resentment, is even worse."
