UK Rejects Foreign Policy Criticism

I think it is a dreadful misjudgment if we believe the foreign policy of this country should be shaped in part, or in whole, under the threat of terrorist activity," Reid said. (Reuters)

"I'm not going to question the motives of anyone who has signed this letter," Home Secretary John Reid told the BBC News Online on Sunday, August 13.

"But I think it is a dreadful misjudgment if we believe the foreign policy of this country should be shaped in part, or in whole, under the threat of terrorist activity if we do not have a foreign policy with which the terrorists happen to agree."

In an open letter to Blair on Saturday, August 12, some 38 Muslim politicians and organizations blamed Blair's policies on Iraq and Lebanon for fueling extremism around the world and putting the life of civilians at risk.

The letter called for redoubling efforts to tackle extremism and terror and changing foreign policy to show that the UK values the lives of civilians.

But Reid said that foreign policy could never by dictated by "terrorists."

"No government worth its salt would stay in power in my view, and no government worth its salt, would be supported by the British people if our foreign policy or any other aspect of policy was being dictated by terrorists," he said emphatically.

British authorities arrested 24 suspects on Thursday, August 9, for an alleged plot to blow up US-bound flights.

British media said the suspects were mostly British-born men of Pakistani origin, three were converts to Islam and one was believed to be a security guard at London's Heathrow airport.

The suspects are still being questioned by the British police who can hold them for up to 28 days before either charging or releasing them under new anti-terror laws.

Britain downgraded its security threat level on Monday as it appeared that police had apprehended all of the main figures in the alleged terror plot.

"Misconceived"

Former Tory leader Michael Howard said the letter had given "ammunition" to extremists.

"It is, I think, completely misconceived to suggest that we should change our foreign policy because it might cause some people to take up arms against us," he told the BBC.

"That's a form of blackmail and I think that letter was completely misconceived."

The shadow home secretary, David Davis, echoed a similar stance, according to the Guardian.

"It [foreign policy] might be part of the catalyst, but to explain this is not to excuse it.

"There are plenty of people with legitimate arguments with the government's foreign policy on Iraq, in Afghanistan, in Lebanon and the Middle East, but none of them take the stance of attempting to murder many thousands of their fellow citizens".

British Muslims, estimated at some 1.8 million or nearly three percent of the population, had denounced in unison the grisly London attacks which killed 56 people in July last year including four home-grown Muslims, saying there was no justification whatsoever to take innocent lives.

Ruth Kelly, the communities and local government secretary, further accused Muslim imams in Britain of "not doing enough" to counter extremist propaganda among youths.

She will meet Monday senior Muslim leaders to tell them they must do more to combat extremism, the Guardian said.

A spokesman for Kelly said imams will be given an opportunity to respond and air their grievances at the meeting.

The paper quoted an unnamed government source as saying: "The feeling is that they (imams and Muslim leaders) have just not done enough and that extremist literature is still circulating."

"The imams are in a position to do something about this."

Big Difference

Bunglawala said signatories sought a "sensible" reassessment of whether national security was being enhanced or damaged by foreign policy.

"There has been huge support from the community and from around the country from people saying that these were things that needed to be said," said Muslim MP Sadiq Kahn who signed the letter.

"I have had a number of Labour MPs ring to say that they agree with the points we raised."

Khan denied that the Muslim letter was drawing a link between the UK foreign policy and terrorism.

"We have not said that there is a link between foreign policy and acts of terrorism but rather that there is a link with the sort of materials that are used to radicalize young people.

"Many of us feel that we are trying to address these issues but it seems that we are in a boat trying to empty out water and that the vessel has a massive hole in it which is our foreign policy."

Inayat Bunglawala, a Muslim Council of Britain spokesman, agreed.

He said signatories from a wide cross section merely sought a "sensible" reassessment of whether national security was being enhanced or damaged by foreign policy.

A report commissioned by Muslim leaders following the London attacks said that the British policy on Iraq, Afghanistan and the Middle East were fanning the flames of extremism.

And a Home Office's inquiry into the terrorist bombings has conceded that the bombers were motivated by London's foreign policy, principally the decision to invade Iraq alongside the US.