Minister dilutes terror speech
Europe Minister Denis MacShane has recoiled from delivering the full version of a controversial speech on terrorism after strong criticism from British Muslims.
His modified speech came after the suicide bomb blasts in Turkey, which killed 27 and left hundreds injured.
Muslim community leaders condemned his remarks as “outrageous” and “disgraceful.”
But the minister was adamant that Muslims in the UK had to make more strident efforts to distance themselves from terrorism.
Mr MacShane equated terrorists to Nazis and urged Muslim leaders to use “clearer, stronger language” to speak out against them.
“Democracy has no place for terrorism and – like Nazism and other forms of tyranny – it must be defeated by the common will and determination of all who live under rule of law and in democratic freedom,” he said.
Mr MacShane told British Muslims in his Rotherham constituency they had to choose the ‘British way’ of political dialogue at the expense of Islamic terrorism.
He said: “It is time for the elected and community leaders of British Muslims to make a choice: it is the British way – based on political dialogue and non-violent protests – or it is the way of the terrorists against which the whole democratic world is now uniting.
“We need also to move away from talk of martyrs and to make clear that jihads are no more to be endorsed or supported than BNP thugs who think that using violence against non-white Britons is politically acceptable.”
After the speech, Mr MacShane said: “I did tone it down slightly. I had a lot of calls from journalists after they saw it and I also spoke to the Foreign Office. But in my view I did not change it overall. I am quite happy with my speech.”
Inayat Bunglawala, a spokesman for the Muslim Council of Britain, said: “We do not need lectures from a representative of a government that has conducted an unlawful war against Iraq.
“The Muslim community has consistently condemned terrorism and we condemn this latest attack on the British consulate and HSBC in Turkey.
“Our sympathies go out to the relatives of the Turkish and British families.
“If Mr MacShane is serious about wanting to reduce the war on terrorism, he and his government should look again at reducing the causes of terrorism.”
Anas Altikriti, director of communications for the Muslim Association of Britain, said Mr MacShane’s speech was an affront to the 2.5 million law-abiding Muslims in the UK.
He added: “It is an outrage and extremely disgraceful.”
