We have to confront the terror threat at home and abroad
Luke Somers during a parade marking the second anniversary of the revolution in Sanaa, Yemen Photo: AP
If Britain has learnt anything in the past few years, it is surely that
complete disengagement from the most troubled parts of the world is not an
option. Careful, strategic involvement is necessary in an age of Islamist
terrorism – a movement that threatens everyone, regardless of geography.
These sad facts have been brought home by recent events. Adnan Shukrijumah,
one of al-Qaeda’s most senior leaders who had been implicated in plots to
blow up the London Underground and the New York subway, has been killed
during a raid on his hideout in Pakistan. His death represents a kind of
rough justice. By contrast, the murder of the hostage Luke Somers by his
Islamist captors was entirely unjust, horrific and barbarous.
The British-born American photographer was killed in Yemen during a rescue attempt that was ordered because his life was believed to be in imminent danger. A South African hostage also died. Condemning their executioners, Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, President Barack Obama said: “The callous disregard for Luke’s life is more proof of the depths of AQAP’s depravity, and further reason why the world must never cease in seeking to defeat their evil ideology.”
The British-born American photographer was killed in Yemen during a rescue attempt that was ordered because his life was believed to be in imminent danger. A South African hostage also died. Condemning their executioners, Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, President Barack Obama said: “The callous disregard for Luke’s life is more proof of the depths of AQAP’s depravity, and further reason why the world must never cease in seeking to defeat their evil ideology.”
Britain has a large part to play in that effort, and that is why the
Government’s decision to re-establish a military base in Bahrain is
appropriate. The facility, at the Mina Salman Port, will host Royal Navy
ships; Bahrain will finance its construction and Britain its operation. This
project represents something of a reversal from the post-imperial policy of
withdrawing from “East of Suez”. Instead, the Government is seeking to
expand British influence in a strategically important part of the world.
But it is by no means the product of some neo-colonial desire to repaint parts
of the map pink. Rather, it is based upon the cold, hard fact that Britain
now has considerable interests within the region to protect – including
thousands of British citizens who live and work in the Gulf States.
Moreover, it is becoming clear that the war against the Islamic State in
Iraq and the Levant is far from over and that the complex religious and
political tensions that facilitated its creation are far from being
resolved. America warns that the West will have to measure the length of the
anti-Isil operation in years rather than months.
Of course, beefing up our long-term military presence in the Middle East is
only one part of the fight against Islamism. Another, subtler challenge has
to be confronted at home. Last week saw the sentencing of two young men from
Birmingham, Yusuf Sarwar and Mohammed Nahin Ahmed, who were found guilty of
engaging in conduct in preparation of terrorist acts. Their story is a
reminder that Britain has to deal with its problem of home-grown
radicalisation – something that can take place in certain mosques, but also
in schools. Cases of schools being accused of failing to prepare their
students for life in a pluralist democracy, or of students being exposed to
militant voices, are very troubling.
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The vast majority of Muslims in the UK are patriotic British citizens – as the
tragic horror of parents who discover that their children have been lost to
radicalisation demonstrates. For the sake of establishing a harmonious
society, government, educational authorities and religious leaders must work
together to promote respect for the law and for democracy. It is not only a
matter of national security, but also a matter of building a strong national
community.
Again, the task is a long and hard one. But the West cannot back down in the face of this threat. The establishment of the Bahrain base indicates that Britain will be part of an ongoing struggle and that it will not walk away from its responsibilities. The Government recognises that to give up on the Middle East would, in fact, mean giving up on our national interests.
Again, the task is a long and hard one. But the West cannot back down in the face of this threat. The establishment of the Bahrain base indicates that Britain will be part of an ongoing struggle and that it will not walk away from its responsibilities. The Government recognises that to give up on the Middle East would, in fact, mean giving up on our national interests.