The survey on Muslim communities by Channel 4’s Jon Snow in the light of the events of the 10/08.

The survey published by Channel 4’s Jon Snow on the 7th of August, highlighted what a certain section of the Muslim community made of the last events in Heathrow on the 10th of August. Coincidence, coincidence on the 07/8, three days before the incidents, John Snow of Channel 4, (The 3rd TV channel in the land) was publishing the results of that now famous survey on the Muslim community.

http://www.channel4.com/news/microsites/D/dispatches2006/

The Channel 4 survey showed that some sections of that particular community felt angered by the UK foreign policy and that it was only a matter of time before the terror alert of the 10th happened.

When they say first generation Muslim, read Muslims from the Indian sub-continent (Pakistanis, Indians, Bangladeshis…). Second and third generations, although hailing in majority from the same lands also includes an increasing numbers of members of the Africans Diasporas (North Africans from Algeria, Morocco … and Black Africans from Somalia, Nigeria…)

It is interesting to notice that one of the 10/08 plotters is said to be a young middle-class white man who converted to Islam 6 months ago. Albeit an interesting one, it is more than anything, a sensationalist fact, which implies that individuals on the fringe of society could have been ‘easily’ brainwashed and pushed to do such an act. But when one is glaring upon the calm and quiet suburban semi-detached houses, raided by the police forces on the 10th and bring to the mix what the C4 survey do reveal. One has to hammer home some alarming truths.

The results published, although predictable, highlighted again the chiasm between young Muslims and the older law-abiding generation who were simply in a broad sense happy to be offered entry to the country and a fairly comfortable way of life. It also showed an even wider chiasm with British society and its way of life as a whole, with some calling for the implementation of Shariaa (or Islamic law) in what they see as a godless land.

The younger ones have turned to a more orthodox approach to Islam than their elders with a minority of them turning to radical ideas and an even smaller one to direct action.

• A majority of those young people for example, thought that Lady Di was eliminated because she was bearing a potential heir to the UK crown of Muslim descent.
• Again, in their views 9/11 was an ‘inside job’ involving US security forces themselves.
• Iraq, Kosovo, Chechnya, Lebanon, Palestine, Are all seen as proof of a greater conspiracy against their faith and they seem to see little or no compassion from the rest of the population.

John Snow stresses that he had spoken to devout Muslim, but no real extremists, despite their strong views. They were all articulate, educated and in touch with their community.

This last alert although disruptive, can not be analyzed without the middle-east sub-plot at its core and on a more local level the Forest Gate security forces fiasco which saw 200 police officers arresting 2 Muslim men, destroyed their houses, injured one of them at gunpoint and released them a week or so later without charge. Or the unnecessary killing of a peaceful but scared Brazilian worker in the tube who was said to have connections with the 7/7 bombers.

Intelligence gathering within that community is a major issue and security forces trained to combat enemy-states from the old ‘iron curtain’ in Eastern Europe have not been able to adapt to this new kind of asymmetric warfare. Security forces have tried to recruit within that particular community, but last reports lately showed that the recruitment drive allegedly made them opened to infiltrations or maybe it was just internal resistance from organizations not inclined to be opened to broader section of the community.

Another survey about what the British public at large, think of the Muslim community will be quite interesting. You can easily predict a north-south divide on that issue. As Muslim communities in the north are on average, less integrated and less prosperous than their southern counterpart. Half or more of the 7/7 bombers came from up north where they literally live parallel lives with other communities. Whether there will be public or more subtle forms of backlash remain to be seen.

The battle-front is multiple, diverse and shifting all the time. Sensitivity is at its peak as shown by the ‘cartoon’ episode earlier this year throughout Europe and the rest of the world. Even a misplaced head butt at the world cup final took another signification when enlarged to the head butters origins and the words ‘terrorist (?)’ uttered or not…. Another proof of that sensitivity was screened when George Galloway MP and leader of the Respect movement went on live TV, the day after the survey was published and before the 10th of August, to defend his pro-Arabs views on SKY TV: http://news.sky.com/skynews/video/videoplayer/0,,31200-galloway_060806,00.html

An amazing outburst it was and definitely not the last on the subject. Whether one conflict fed the anger for the other one, the Channel 4 survey seems to agree. Whether one is firmly linked on the ground, to the other remains to be proven. However, in the global age we are living in, it is difficult to believe that events can stand alone without any connections to other events happening right now and involving fellow Muslims conclude the survey and as we know, the survey was published BEFORE the foiled plot. Cautiousness and fore thinking are required in these dark hours and a fair advice would be to give the last events a week or two to simmer, before drawing any definitive conclusions.

The dividing lines are cultural, generational, religious and ultimately racial. It is indeed, the biggest challenge faced by secular, tolerant Europe for this century and maybe the next to come.