On Muhammad Abdul Bari's " Homegrown terrorism 1: We must slay the mythical dragons of “Eurabia”"

Sir,

Muhammad Abdul Bari is right to contradict those people who in the wake of the terrorist attacks in New York in 2001 and London in 2005 have simplistically equated the Islamic faith with terrorism. It is clear from his article that Bari, a Muslim Briton, naturally regards himself as part of mainstream society. Since the 7/7 attacks in London killed and injured people of all religions, Bari considers they were directed against him and his fellow Muslims as much as any other British citizen. Hence it is particularly reprehensible that Muslims should face accusations and prejudice solely because of their religious identity. Such intolerance is at odds with a sense of fairness which is upheld by every enlightened European.

In this respect, Bari’s article is a welcome appeal to everyone to avoid sweeping generalisations and effectively counter alienation within society. It must be accepted as self-evident that Muslims have an equal right to Christians and to Jews to practise their own religion. Such religious tolerance benefits society at large because people who believe they suffer from discrimination also feel excluded from mainstream society. And if they have no interest in being part of the mainstream, they turn to a parallel society and accept its values. Such people are vulnerable to extremist activities and recruitment by terrorist groups.

To avoid this, young Muslims must be shown how they can preserve their cultural identity without sealing themselves off in a self-imposed “ghetto”. I believe this can be achieved through intensive dialogue and, above all, through genuine integration into society, including real opportunities to advance both professionally and socially. People with economic and political prospects in a society will not fall into a terrorist mindset. Thus the true indicator of social integration is how far people feel they are part of society and are accepted by it without prejudice. Achieving this is a fundamental task both for policy makers and mainstream society itself.

A society must, however, remain recognisable and be able to express its own principles and values. For Europe’s citizens, religious faith is more than an individual right, it is also a generally accepted reality. However, in the overwhelming majority of European states there has been a tradition of secularism ever since the Enlightenment. This separation of religious faith and state action has proven its worth. So any targeted attempt to exploit Islam for political purposes should be countered through structures that foster a broad dialogue, and any politicisation of Islam by al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups must be resisted by a broad coalition of all states and societies. The rights of women in a free society must also be consistently defended against reactionary blueprints. In addition, the adoption of Sharia law in Europe is inconceivable.

All religions are open to interpretation and, in the case of al-Qaeda and other Islamist terrorist groups, to abuse. It is therefore very welcome that Bari – as the Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Britain – should condemn terrorist attacks supposedly carried out in the name of Islam, both in his home town and around the world. We must all engage with each others’ religious ideas, for it is only when we understand the “other” that we can communicate with them and respect them.