How (not) to fight Islamic extremism

Melanie Philips reports today on various aspects of Government lunacy regarding pandering to the Islamists. One example is allowing the massive funding from Saudi Arabia of Islamic Studies departments in UK Universities, despite the overwhelming evidence that this always results in an obsessive and ferocious anti-Israel agenda (the example at Oxford University being one I know well).

Well, at least the money pouring in to Universities to fund Islamic extremism is mainly being provided by the (foreign) extremists themselves. Unfortunately we can't say the same about the initiative that Home Secretary Jacqui Smith is set to announce according to the report here.

Basically, it appears that the Home Secretary's answer to the problems of Pakistani imams indoctrinating congregants in their mosques with Islamic extemism is to ... pay to import even more Pakistani imams. Here is what the article says:

This week the Home Secretary will step up the government's "Prevent" campaign—its battle against Islamic extremists who preach hate and indoctrinate potential jihadi recruits.

On Wednesday she will announce a new deal she struck with the Pakistani government on a visit last week. It will allow respected moderate Islamic clerics to be brought over from Pakistan to help British imams combat extremism in the Islamic communities.

Mrs Smith explained: "The vast majority of British Muslims have a Pakistani heritage. If we work with the government there we can win the arguments.

"We need to do more to tackle those places where radicalisation is developing—in prisons, schools, higher education—so that people are getting the right messages about what it means to be a British Muslim."

Remember that when they talk about "respected moderate Islamic clerics" the most celebrated such 'moderate' is none other than our old friend al-Qaradawi - the anti-semitic, homophobic, misogynist who issued the fatwa permitting the murder of Israeli children and who not only encouraged Muslim women to become suicide bombers, but also allowed them to disguise themselves in Western clothes to do so.

Oh, and of course, I still have not received any response from Jaqui Smith to my letter asking why she allowed in Islamic terrorist supporters but banned Israeli members of Parliament under the new anti-terrorism legislation.