Yesterday George W Bush referred to the US and the free world being in a war with Islamo-fascism. As soon as I heard him say it I smiled. Why? Because I knew the predictable handwringing outpourings of faux outrage we'd get from the liberal so-called intelligentsia. And sure enough, they weren't long in coming forward on the various rolling news channels and Newsnight.
Yes, this is a war of sorts. Of course we should do all we can to understand the Muslim communities in this country. 99.9% of them will be just as disgusted at these terrorist outrages as anyone else in the country. But there's a cancer in their midst, and unfortunately they and their leaders are the only ones who can root it out. It's not something the government can do for them.
I've just seen a pathetic statement by Prescott saying that meetings will be held next week with Muslim leaders to urgently discuss the situation. This happened last year after the 7/7 bombings. I know because I was part of them. I remember meetings I attended chaired by Hazel Blears. All very social, all very worthy, all very constructive. But they achieved very little, beyond giving the false impression that 'something was being done'.
I also remember attending a meeting in Michael Howard's office with the Muslim Council of Britain. They just didn't get it. They couldn't bear to accept that it was down to them to take action. They bleated on about the War in Iraq but could not grasp that it was up to them to control the Immams who were preaching hate in Mosques up and down the country. They thought it was up to the government. Michael Howard was superb. He told them exactly what he thought and who was to blame.
We do not have the luxury of going through this charade once again. One year on from 7/7 we now find 24 people in Police custody facing terrorist charges. Obviously we don't know the full details yet, but we already know that the majority of them are British born and British educated.
We do not need to "understand" their motives, as the liberal left would want us to do. All we need to know is that they are motivated by an evil beyond most normal people's comprehension. It's not because they are 'alienated'. It's not because they haven't been edcuated properly. It's not because they live in poverty. Most of them lead perfectly average lives and appear to have been normal members of their communities. But somewhere along the lines they have been brainwashed - brainwashed by extremists in their midst. It's these extremists we should now be targeting - and either throwing them in jail or deporting them to from whence they came.
The Dunderheadedness blog puts it well...
"This isn't a parlour game. The Islamofascists don't really care if you watch Rory Bremner or smirk every time John Reid opens his mouth. This isn't fiction. We are not in some Chomskonian fantasy where the bad guys work in a government office.
This is a war. A war between a medievalist, fascist death cult whose values include the hanging of homosexuals, the murder of adulterers and the forced subjugation of women. If you think Blair is bad, then picture what Ahmadinejad will do to your student bedsit. Or your organic allotment. All your gay friends? Forget them. That funny T-shirt with the swearing on? Burnt. Websites like this where you can pour out whatever imbecilities you like? Gone. All that 'care in the community' 'causes of crime' stuff you love to talk about over your cheap red wine? You think that'll cut any mustard in a world where the criminals are hung, dismembered or denuded of their limbs?
Every time you open your mouth to talk in the way you do, that world gets nearer. And if we can't answer this threat through language, rational thought and rule of law, then it will be answered in bloodshed."
If I don't like my lot in life, what do I do? If I don't agree with the government, what do I do? If I don't like Tony Blair or George Bush, what do I do? As a civilised person, I write articles, I blog, I make speeches, I do interviews, I write letters. I might even demonstrate. In short I exert my democratic rights. What I don't do is strap a couple of sticks of dynamite round my waist or mix chemicals to blow a plane up.
No amount of 'understanding' will divert evil minds from evil deeds. And we'd better get used to the idea.
It's time for the Muslim Council of Britain to stand up and be counted. The fact that its website says absolutely nothing about the events of the last 36 hours is appalling. No condemnation, nothing. Their spokesman, who has appeared on various TV programmes, blames the War in Iraq. Sorry. Not good enough. If John Reid has anything about him, he'll call in the MCB and tell them what's what. And before he does, he should ring Michael Howard, who'll tell him exactly how to do it.
