Ed Husain adds his thoughts to the convictions of three British Muslims for hatching a devastating transatlantic terror plot in the Daily Mail today.

Husain writes that he ‘feel[s] we have given in to the fanatics’, explaining that the problems of radicalisation stem from the ‘tens of thousands of Muslims living in Britain, physically present in our country, but psychologically attached to Muslim-dominated countries’ and their habits of ‘Muslim state schools, go[ing] to Muslim NHS doctors, and do[ing] business at the Islamic bank’.

According to Husain the problem is compounded by a prison system which designates inmates on arrival as ‘a practising Muslim’ and issues them with ‘a prayer mat and a copy of the Koran’ and hands them over to the prison imams. Many of those incarcerated leave prison ‘as something very different’ after serving their sentences.

And to boot Muslims are hooked on ‘satellite television stations that freely transmit the radical Islamic message straight into British homes. Thousands of UK Muslims-watch the Islam channel for their news instead of the BBC or ITN’.

Husain’s labours on points that would suggest that UK Muslims are living as if a state within a state.

His analysis is - as we have come to expect - seriously misguided and devastating to the ‘promoting pluralism’ ethos his Quilliam Foundation portends to uphold. There's something fundamentally wrong with his view that equates personal choice and multiculturalism with fanaticism.

Sending children to their choice of school is every parent’s right and no criticism is levelled by him at the decision of Christian, Jewish, Hindu or Sikh parents choosing a faith school education for their child. Yet, Ed singles out Muslim faith schools for criticism.

There is no evidence to suggest that Muslims opt to be seen only by Muslim doctors. It’s an incredible assertion given that patients are simply assigned doctors. Hospitals and surgeries don’t offer checklists of doctors on the premises that Muslims might select a preferred option.

And the point on Islamic banking overlooks the fact that Islamic banking is not only delivered through major high street banks, not some Muslim back alley, but that it is also the choice of non-Muslim customers.

Husain ignores in his point on prison service treatment of inmates that religion often provides those that have fallen by the wayside and off the right tracks a means of reflecting on their past conduct and making amends for the future. Muslims would contend that offering a Muslim prisoner a prayer mat, a copy of the Qur’an, and access to a trained Muslim chaplain would aid and not hinder the process of rehabilitation.

The entire article in the Daily Mail paints a picture few Muslims will recognise as descriptive of their community, their lives and their experiences. Luckily for them, the degree to which Muslims are integrated into British society is captured in this new study by academics at the University of Lancaster and not left in the disingenuous hands of a shameful opportunist.

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usman   |2009-09-11 07:22:03 Why don't we all just ignore Ed Hussein & Quillam? By publicising their (agenda loaded & factually false) messages, aren't we just giving them the very publicity/status they crave? They're clearly not writing this stuff to aid community cohesion. Inventing 'off the cuff' 'facts' to justify false assertions is evidence of that. The motive is self promotion for Quillam, Hussein and ..(the other bloke). By discussing them we are helping that promotion.

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