Blair proposes strict laws for extremists
LONDON – Prime Minister Tony Blair proposed strict anti-terror measures Friday that would allow Britain to expel foreigners who preach hatred, close extremist mosques and bar entry to Muslim radicals. “The rules of the game are changing” following last month’s bomb attacks, he declared.
The proposals are aimed primarily at excluding radical Islamic clerics accused of whipping up hatred and violence among vulnerable, disenfranchised Muslim men.
“We are angry. We are angry about extremism and about what they are doing to our country, angry about their abuse of our good nature,” Blair said. “We welcome people here who share our values and our way of life. But don’t meddle in extremism because if you meddle in it … you are going back out again.”
Also Friday, police charged three men with failing to disclose information about the whereabouts of a suspect in the failed July 21 London bomb attacks.
The July 7 attacks on London’s transit system and the failed July 21 attacks raised fresh concern about the freedoms Britain offers to individuals and groups known for extremist activities. Blair said the focus of the proposals was on foreigners because authorities believe “the ideological drive and push is coming from the outside.”
But some members of Britain’s 1.8 million-strong Muslim community expressed concern that moderate Muslims would be subjected to new prejudices and restrictions.
Britain has been criticized for lagging behind its European neighbors in responding to terrorism. The prime minister said he would consider asking Parliament to reconvene next month to take up the proposals.
Under the proposals, anyone who preaches hatred or violence could be deported, those linked to terrorism would be automatically refused asylum and steps would be taken to make it easier to strip naturalized citizens of their British citizenship if they preached violence.
New powers would be created to allow the closure of mosques that foment extremism.
Authorities will draw up lists of radical preachers who will not be allowed to enter Britain, and a list of radical Web sites and bookstores. Any foreigner who “actively engages” with those places could face deportation.
Membership in extremist Islamic groups such as Hizb-ut-Tahrir would also become a crime.
It was not immediately clear how the measures would have affected those suspected in last month’s attacks. Three of the suspected July 7 bombers, who killed 56 people including themselves, were Pakistani Britons; the fourth moved from Jamaica as a child. At least three of the four men in custody for allegedly carrying out the botched attacks July 21 were immigrants from East Africa.
Iqbal Sacranie, who heads the Muslim Council of Britain, said his early response was concern. “Our democratic values need to be upheld, not undermined,” he said.
Other Muslims called the proposals long overdue. “Day after day these lunatics on our behalf … are really messing up our lives here,” said Omar Farooq, of the Islamic Society of Britain.