British New Definition of Extremism

Problems of Extremism in World

Today the entire world is in turmoil mainly because of rising Islamic Radicalism leading to Fundamentalism, extremism and Terrorism. It is a bit harsh to name ‘Islamic’ which rather appears a shame on the ideology that emerges out of Quran, the (un)holy book of Islam. The madness that is oozing out of Islam, is sickening to even its followers. Of the 47 Islamic nations, 7 are totally destroyed, 12 are in turmoil, another 12 are in disarrays and except 4 which have chosen a mid-secular path, remaining too are largely in denial mode. A sizable numbers of Muslims in non-Islamic countries are posing immense threats to the peace & harmony to the believers of religions & faiths other than Islam in those nations. There are other forms of extremism/terrorism too in the world. Some of them are owing to racial discrimination, some are of ethnic origins and some are of sociao-economic nature like Narco-terrorism too. It is other matter that many of those forms of extremism & terrorism have been dwindling down in recent years and decades.

Problems of Extremism in British Society

When the heat of radicalism, fundamentalism and extremism has turned intense on the British societies in the recent months & years, they have realised that there must be drawn a “Laxman Rekha” that the Islamists must be prevented from crossing. British society has witnessed a sharp rise in the population of Muslims which defies all logic. Further, the muscle flexing by Islamists on the streets of London is becoming a cancer on the British soil (read “Britain Diseased with Islamic Cancer”, https://thecounterviews.in/articles/britain-diseased-with-islamic-cancer-reluctant-for-treatment/). It was expected that those sheltering snakes in their backyards will get scared if not bitten. Britain is sheltering the most dangerous snake in the form of Jihadists & Islamists amidst some lesser poisonous ones. The former of the snakes is showing its fangs in the ‘No-go’ zones of Muslim ghettoes and lawlessness on British streets. It is also believed that British Muslim administrators may be encouraging such Islamic domination. Muslims all around the world (incl US, UK, Australia etc) displayed their beast-hood when they came out in support of Hamas actions in Israel on 7th Oct 23. It was a radical Islamic slap on the face of world humanity. There should be no doubt in anyone’s mind that world Islamists will repeat it on their convenience as and when any of the 175-odd radical Islamic groups are threatened in part of the world.

Grades of Extremism…from Discrimination to Terrorism

Readers may like to know a few terms in religious practices. It starts from discrimination between different religions and faiths and goes on to include Radicalism, Fundamentalism, Extremism and Terrorism. Radicalism is a very strong notion of one’s absolute belief in own religion or faith. Fundamentalism goes a step further that the radicals feel averse to other religions and faiths. Extremism goes two steps beyond fundamentalism in which one starts getting intolerant to the followers of other religions/faiths and could pursue a path of influencing, obstructing or intimidating others from practicing their own faiths. Religious Terrorism is often preached or incited by their religious books and/or clerics through violent means by inflicting damages to the lives/properties to dissuade them from practicing own religions/faiths. It is possible that most if not all religions/faiths could have radicalism and even fundamentalism to varying extent depending on social circumstances. However, Extremism & Terrorism are often supported by groups of individuals or societies through intimidation or violence. It is no secret that Islam promotes both extremism & terrorism through their Quran & Hadith (read “60 Hateful and Intolerant verses of Quran, parts-1 & 2”, https://thecounterviews.in/articles/60-hateful-intolerant-verses-quran-part-2/ and https://thecounterviews.in/articles/60-hateful-intolerant-verses-quran-part-2/). India has been suffering for decades from all these forms of Islamism from the Jihadists both inland and abroad.

Problems in Defining Ideological Extremism

It is unfortunate that the UN has not been able to define ideological terrorism despite the draft proposal being submitted nearly 2 decades back. PM Modi had requested the UN Secretary General way back in 2015 address to the UN but possibly at the behest of the OIC, The UN has been dragging its feet. OIC has complicated it further through August 1990 Cairo declaration of the UNHRC inserting a highly discriminative connotation for Human Rights in Islam which rightly has not been ratified by the UNGA/UNSC. In the last 3 decades, Radical Islam has taken an ugly form taking to Islamic Terrorism and committing various forms of genocides be it against Hindu Pandits in Kashmir (India), Yezidis in Iraq, Christians in Middle-East, Hindu/Sikhs/Christians in Pakistan & Bangladesh or very recently against Sikhs in Afghanistan. It is condemnable for UN and the UNHRC to have turned blind eyes to the past and ongoing genocides by Islamists (read “Muted UNHRC Response Encouraging Islamic genocides”, https://thecounterviews.in/articles/muted-unhrc-response-encouraging-islamic-genocide/).

Reasons for Current British Effort

Radical Islamism in Britain has been overt and threatening disruptions of law & order when lakhs of Muslims waving Palestine & Hamas flags marched on the streets of London in support of Hamas & Palestinians in Gaza. They started threatening, abusing and beating the Jews on British streets, education institutions and other public places. Airing threats by British Muslims, Ms Braverman and Lee Anderson had to pay the price of pseudo-secularism in Britain that is encouraging Islamic radicalism. Finally, British PM Sunak had to speak out of increasing radicalism in British society and had to modify the definition of Extremism on the floor of the House of Commons as below:-

“ Extremism is the promotion or advancement of an ideology based on violence, hatred or intolerance, that aims to:-

• Negate or destroy the fundamental rights and freedoms of others;
• Undermine, overturn or replace the UK's system of liberal parliamentary democracy and democratic rights; or
• Intentionally create a permissive environment for others to achieve the results in (1) or (2) above."

How New Definition Fits on Ideological Extremism

Let us now analyse if the above definition fits into the Islamic Extremism of the present times…..

In Islam, Jihad is an Extreme form of cult which encourages Muslims to fight against the ills in persons, societies, culture or faiths. Although Jihad also promotes combating ills within, it widely promotes intimidation, repression and violent means against the followers of other faiths that may even be another sects of Islam. Intolerance and intimidation of Islam has made the non-Muslims vanish from Muslim-dominant societies and States. Major part of this atrocities are through “Convert, Flee or Die” cry of Islam. Islam is highly intolerant to co-existence of other faiths and their monuments right from the times of Mohamed, its founder. He and his subsequent Caliphs committed numerous heinous genocides of Arabian Tribes, Jews, Christians, Parsis and Hindus in the medieval as well as recent decades and years (read “Major Jihadi Attacks in the World”, https://thecounterviews.in/articles/major-islamic-jihadi-attacks-in-the-world/; and “Islam and many Ayodhyas in the World”, https://thecounterviews.in/articles/islam-and-many-ayodhyas-of-world/). Islamic book of Quran and their Mosques are well known to spread Hate & Intolerance (read “Is Quran a Source of Hate & Intolerance?”, https://thecounterviews.in/articles/is-quran-a-source-of-hate-and-intolerance/); and Mosques in recent years and decades have become a Symbol of Interfaith Hate & Intolerance”, (read https://thecounterviews.in/articles/mosques-a-symbol-of-interfaith-hate-and-intolerance/).

There is no doubt that Islam grossly violates Indian Fundamental Constitutional Rights which is very similar to the UN Human Rights (read “Gross Violation of Indian Fundamental Rights”, https://thecounterviews.in/articles/gross-violation-of-indian-fundamental-rights-by-quran/). Numerous many verses of Quran are incompatible for secularism and peaceful inter-religious co-existence (read “Quran Incompatible for Secular Ethos: lessons from Hamas”, https://thecounterviews.in/articles/quran-incompatible-for-secular-ethos-lessons-from-hamas/). Thus it is clear from the above citations that Islam is incompatible with Fundamental or Democratic rights of the others and must be prevented from being preached the way it is. It is worth mentioning here that in the present times, only China has been able to prevent the spread of Radical Islam in their society through various means hitherto unknown to the larger world (read “World Must Adopt the Chinese Model of Islam”, https://thecounterviews.in/articles/world-must-adopt-chinese-model-of-islam/).

Britain has realised the discomfort of heat caused by harbouring Radical Islam in the recent years and burnt their hands too in some major terrorist attacks (of May & Jun 2017 and July 2005). UK administration is helplessly watching the proliferation of Muslim ghettos where law of land is ignored and Sharia law is practiced. Their police is hesitant to enter such ghettos. Significant numbers of white British women are being raped and converted by Pakistani Muslims that Ms Braverman had spoken about and now they are behaving as rowdies on British streets to express solidarity with Palestine and Hamas. It is also believed that Muslim clerics from radical Islamic nations (like Pakistan, Malaysia, Saudi, Qatar etc) are living illegally in British mosques preaching hate & intolerance. They are believed to be the ones who spread extremism & terrorism the most.

The current understanding of human rights were given to the UN and the world by Britain, adopting it almost the verbatim. In a similar way, the new definition of ideological extremism though not completely ideal, deserves consideration by various international for a incl the EU, UN, UNSC and the UNHRC.

Recent Data of Extremism in Britain

Data of criminal Islamic extremism & terrorism shown below confirms that there has been a sharp rise in Islamic ideological terrorism in Britain of both international and domestic origins. The external extremism are through the links that various indigenous radical groups establish with >175-odd external Jihadi groups spread all over the world in radical Muslim nations. Domestic extremism on the other hand is largely owing to the incitement by the radical Islamic clerics through mosques and other Muslim congregations often putting fuel to fire to incite them such as Israeli retaliation to 7th Oct Jihadi attack and numerous others.

(Ref: https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CBP-7613/CBP-7613.pdf).

A Tightrope Walk for British Politicians

Both radical Muslim clerics as well as radicalised British Muslims are taking full advantage of the British polity many of whom are somewhat pseudo-secularists. Just like some Indian political parties greedy of Muslim votes, many British politician too are reluctant to speak out the causes of increasing Islamic radicalism. These politicians are least bothered about rapidly fanning radicalism and extremism/terrorism in British society for the greed of their votes. It is also clearly known to them that administrators like Sadiq Khan, the London mayor are partisan and fully exploiting the situation. Now since many have spoken openly of increasing Islamic intolerance, some sort of balancing act is underway to name Jewish intolerance which is nothing but a reactionary trend to Islamic hate directed towards them. It is unfortunate and condemnable. It is for the British politician to realise that Islamists are like cancer, will corrode their peace, harmony and coherence in society from within. Sooner they realise it, better it will be for them. It is time of tightrope walk for them esp in a time when elections are around the corner. 

The Bottomline

British new definition of ideological extremism will surely help identify and control it, the main issue being rapidly growing Islamism. It will also be a good step to adopt this definition of religious extremism at the international platforms such as EU, the UN or the world. Since Quranic verses violate fundamental rights, it must be amended or banned in non-Islamic nations. At present, Britain, France, Sweden, Denmark and some others are experiencing the heat of Islamic extremism besides the climatic ones. The recent episodes of Quran burning in Denmark or Sweden is a pointer to European retaliation to Islamic intolerance in some or the other forms the world over. It is hoped that the UN/UNHRC/UNSC takes note of it and recommends suitable actions.