Islamist terrorism predates the EDL by many years. Osama bin Laden published his justification for the indiscriminate killing of Americans and Jews everywhere in February 1998 and the ‘secret apparatus’ of the Muslim Brotherhood is believed to have assassinated Mahmoud an-Nukrashi Pasha, then prime minister of Egypt, as long ago as 1948.
According to Detective Superintendent John Larkin of the West Midlands counter-terrorism unit, high profile English Defence League rallies can act as a “potential recruiting carrot” for Islamist terrorism. In response, the EDL have denied any responsibility for feeding Islamist radicalisation, saying:
“The root cause of the problem is the Qur’an.”
Of course, Islamist terrorism predates the EDL by many years. Osama bin Laden published his justification for the indiscriminate killing of Americans and Jews everywhere in February 1998 and the ‘secret apparatus’ of the Muslim Brotherhood is believed to have assassinated Mahmoud an-Nukrashi Pasha, then prime minister of Egypt, as long ago as 1948.
But whilst there may be no causal relationship between the EDL and Islamist terrorism, the anti-Islam demonstrations of the EDL do help to create an atmosphere which is more conducive to Islamist radicalisation.
In particular, their anti-Islam protests and their chants of “we hate Muslims” help Islamist recruiters to argue that there is a ‘war on Islam’ and that the only way to defend against it is by uniting against ‘the West’, possibly using violence. For example, Taji Mustafa of the global revolutionary Islamist group, Hizb ut-Tahrir, has argued that EDL protests are part of a:
“Wider campaign by mainstream politicians … to pressurise the community to compromise her Islam.”
Leading to the conclusion:
“In this situation the Muslim community needs to remain focused on adhering to Islam and continue exposing the plans of the British government in the Muslim lands whilst explaining how Islam is an alternative to the political, economic and social breakdown in the world today.”
What Detective Inspector Larkin failed to mention is that the reverse also occurs; the antics of Islamist extremists are a “recruiting carrot” for far-right groups like the EDL. Al-Muhajiroun/Muslims Against Crusaders/Islam4UK have 40-60 members at most and they have not, in recent years, managed to attract more than about 150 people to any of their events.
Indeed, at their carefully stage-managed publicity stunts, media normally heavily outnumber Islamists. Yet it was al-Muhajiroun’s March 2009 protest in Luton against troops returning from Afghanistan that led to the creation of the EDL.
This symbiotic relationship between far-right extremists and Islamists has been noted previously at Left Foot Forward, but Detective Inspector Larkin’s comments come at a particularly interesting time. Nick Lowles of the anti-fascist magazine Searchlight recently published an article entitled ‘A plague on both their houses’, in which he stated:
“We stand opposed to both sides. We oppose the racism and Islamophobia of the EDL just as we oppose the religious bigotry and antisemitism of the MAC [Muslims Against Crusades – the latest name for al-Muhajiroun/Islam4UK].
“To hear these Islamist extremists publicly deny the Holocaust and call for the formation of a Muslim Waffen SS Division – as they did today – should rightly sicken every anti-fascist just as much as the racist bile spat out by the EDL and ENA.
“We think it is important to criticise both groups publicly.”
Ending the feedback loop produced by far-right and Islamist extremists exploiting each other’s propaganda has never been a more important goal. Now, with this statement from the people behind ‘Hope Not Hate’ and its successful campaign against the BNP in east London, it is finally getting the recognition it deserves.
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20 Responses to “Police terror boss only half right in remarks about EDL”
Morgan Dalton
RT @leftfootfwd: Police terror boss only half right in remarks about EDL: http://bit.ly/akdbOo writes @QuilliamF's George Readings
Simon Sayer
RT @leftfootfwd: Police terror boss only half right in remarks about EDL: http://bit.ly/akdbOo writes @QuilliamF's George Readings
Shamik Das
Police terror boss only half right in remarks about EDL: http://bit.ly/akdbOo writes @QuilliamF's George Readings on @leftfootfwd
Wisdom786
Hi Guys,
EDL has stated that the root cause of the problem is Qur’an. However, if one studies the Qur’an it talks about the importance of keeping peace amongst the people. It also talks about the right of the neighbours e.t.c. A simple conclusion – Islam and Qur’an is not the root cause of problems.
The leaders have named the group English Defence League, I’m not too sure what it is they are trying to defend, is it the fact that we are forcing Burkha on their women, because i’ve never heard of an incident of forcing Brukha’s on their women. Or is it that they are worried that we will force Shariah Law on them, because part of Shariah is that you cant force and oppress people.
I’ll leave the last taughts to you guys.
Mr. Sensible
George, this is an important point you have raised.
The clearest possible message should go out to the Muslim community that the EDL and BNP are not part of the British political mainstreem. When the EDL held their demo in Leicester in October, I heard on BBC East Midlands Today that either side of it the local community had held a gathering to demonstrate this. I think recent events show that the EDL is not just opposed to “militant Islam”; it seems to me that the EDL is opposed to all Islam.
Just as we should be rightly appalled at events in Luton, I personally am appalled that the EDL came last December to protest in my hometown of Nottingham at the same time as we were welcoming some of our troups home from Afghanistan. I was appalled to see their homecoming highjacked in that way.
I think you and others are entirely right to say that the extremists on both sides are wrong.