Neha Gohil, Editor

Hindu Voice UK, August 2006

The recent foiling of what would have been the biggest terrorist atrocity ever to hit Britain, and the fact that most of the arrested conspirators are British born Muslims, has left Britain feeling understandably vulnerable.

Discussion of what could drive British born men and women to plot terrorist attacks against Britain has been a major issue of national debate. The finger is often pointed at foreign policy.

On 12 August, a group of British Muslim (comprising of three Muslim MPs, three peers and thirty-eight organisations) sent an open letter to the Prime Minister, stating that "current British government policy risks putting civilians at increased risk both in the UK and abroad". Many such groups and even certain sectors of UK government have suggested that (among other factors) the foreign policy position of the United Kingdom in places such as Palestine, Lebanon, Afghanistan and Iraq is to a large extent responsible for the increasing radicalisation of young Muslims in the UK, thus promoting the possibility of actions like the July 7th London bombings.

For once I agree with Home Secretary John Reid, when he described the letter as "a dreadful misjudgement". Instead of standing up and saying that any disagreement over foreign policy is not a reason to blow up people, the letter indirectly condones terrorist attacks as a legitimate means of expressing dissatisfaction with foreign policy.

If we follow this logic we may eventually find Thai people blowing up a bus in Manchester because the United Kingdom is not supporting Thailand enough in its insurgency in Southern Thailand, or Sierra Leonese in England poisoning our water supply because UK troops are in Sierra Leone.

A more appropriate statement would have been a clear message that whatever be your difference with British Government Policy, the way to deal with that is the political process, not attacking British citizens, many of whom themselves do not approve of British foreign policy.