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How the BBC inspires British terrorism

Shiraz Maher, a former Islamic radical, writes of his friendship with one of Britain’s terrorist suspects, in the New Statesman

And so it was through my involvement with Hizb ut-Tahrir and its ideology of extremist political Islam that I came to befriend Bilal, the would-be bomber. That’s why I believe it’s wrong to distinguish between “extremism” and “violent extremism” as the government has been doing in recent months. The two are inextricably intertwined. Without movements such as Hizb creating the moral imperatives to justify terror, people like Bilal wouldn’t have the support of an ideological infrastructure cheering them on. And, I believe, it’s a fallacy to suggest that the culpability of agitators and cheerleaders is any less than for those who actually carry out acts of terror.

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They are us. All power to them.

The BBC announced today that Catherine Tate is to play the Doctor’s companion in the new series of Doctor Who, Freema Agyeman (Martha Jones) will return mid-series and Kylie Minogue will be starring in this year’s Christmas special. I can’t wait and neither can my kids.

This seemed to be the right time to slip in one of my favourite Beatles tunes, sung beautifully by Fiona Apple and as voted for in everyone’s favourite Tebbit-Test-failing Eustonian’s Beatle songs poll.

The news of Alan Johnston’s release is welcome indeed.

Much has changed in the 114 days since Mr. Johnston was captured, including a Hamas military coup in Gaza which has left the group in control of the strip, a control confirmed by Hamas’ victory over the ‘Army of Islam’ Dughmush clan who kidnapped the reporter.

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Ten year old Sajani Shakya from Nepal was stripped of her title as a living goddess because she traveled overseas to promote a British documentary. Even though she has perfect skin, hair, eyes and teeth, no scars or wounds, and she isn’t afraid of the dark, all essential requirements for the role, she was de-deified because she broke with tradition by leaving the country.

It’s probably overrated anyway, being a goddess. - more at Andy Garvin’s Waste of Bandwidth

“If the sky should open its eyes
And cry from up above,
Let’s shed some tears of joy and fall in love.”

They murdered men and women, killed their livestock and cut off the heads of their children.

As we passed through the village, Captain Combs pointed out the nice houses, saying the people had been simple farmers with comfortable homes and lives.

Until al Qaeda came.

Anyone who has the slightest doubt about the nature of the evil that lives amongst us, any would be Islamists who harbour the slightest illusion that Jihadi would enable them to find favour with Allah, should read Michael Yon’s account of the business of al Qaeda in Iraq.

The Conflict Blotter reports:

Tensions between Hamas and Alan Johnston’s captors seem to be coming to a head. Early Monday morning Hamas nabbed Army of Islam spokesman Khattab al-Maqdissi

…A few hours later the Dagmush-controlled Army of Islam shot back, reportedly kidnapping 10 Hamas members, all students at the Islamic University in Gaza City. They warned they had damning video tapes that would bring shame to certain Hamas members. Hamas then announced it had begun arresting people responsible for kidnapping Johnston.

…The movement [Hamas] is being made to look like chumps by the Dagmush clan, which is undermining Hamas’ attempts to restore order in Gaza. If the Dagmush clan and the Army of Islam can stand up to Hamas with impunity, Hamas may start to look like something of a paper tiger to other Gaza clans, the last thing Hamas wants.

Also, The New York Times reports on Hamas against the Army of Islam, on the 11 Hamas members arrested in Jerusalem carrying Israeli ID cards, on the Israeli troops who shot and killed a leader of the city’s Al Aksa Martyrs Brigades, on a new sentence for Israeli nuclear secrets spy Mordechai Vanunu and on the case of the disgraced former Israeli president, Moshe Katsav. A busy day.