CAIRO,
October 10, 2005 (IslamOnline.net) – The work of a British
anti-terror taskforce formed after the London bombings to tackle
extremism has been stifled by time pressures from the government to
reach a tangible outcome and sell it to the public, a leading British
daily reported Monday, October 10.
"We
were set up to fail," a member of the taskforce, chosen by the
Home Office to include prominent Muslim figures, told the Guardian.
"We
were expected to do the work of a think-tank without the time or the
resources," a colleague agreed.
The
working group was part of the government's response to the July 7
attacks on London, carried out by four British Muslims.
According
to the British daily, the group members were told to come up with
concrete proposals that would have an immediate or short-term impact
on extremism and radicalization in just two meetings.
"Sometimes
they had only a day's notice for meetings or deadlines for draft
documents."
The
taskforce, involving more than 100 Muslims of different ages,
backgrounds and experience working in seven groups, will present a
36-page dossier to Home Secretary Charles Clarke soon.
Frustrated
The
Guardian stressed that many of the members were frustrated that
the government did not give them enough time to develop the depth and
insight needed to do what they had been asked.
"This
was government on the hoof," said the British daily.
It
maintained that the government wanted to enforce the impression of
talking to Muslims and that Muslims are helping.
His,
according to the daily, "became more pressing than actually
achieving the alleged task."
A
recent opinion poll showed that the majority of the Muslim minority in
Britain feel they share responsibility towards uprooting extremism.
The
ICM poll found that 65 percent of those questioned bore “a lot” of
responsibility for fighting extremism.
British
Muslim leaders pledged on July 19 active and effective participation
in the government's efforts to combat the poisonous phenomenon of
extremism for the welfare of British society.
