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Jewish World Review August 1, 2005 / 25 Tammuz, 5765 How U.K. terrorists could win By Debra J. Saunders
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
"When they try to intimidate us, we will not be intimidated.
When they seek to change our country or our way of life by these methods, we
will not be changed," British Prime Minister Tony Blair announced in the
wake of the July London bombings.
With all respect to Blair, Great Britain will change. A country
that once colonized corners across the globe now invites others to colonize
London, and make it the most international of cities.
British laws will change. British immigration will work
differently. And the British people, I think and hope, will end any romantic
notions they may have had about suicide bombers.
The laws will change. No one will be happier about that than
Tony Blair. In December, Parliament's Law Lords ruled that post-Sept. 11
laws that allowed detentions without trials of suspected terrorist
figures — including figures who had publicly supported acts of terror while
gaming U.K. political asylum laws — were illegal. At the time, judge Lord
Hoffman wrote, "The real threat to the life of the nation ... comes not from
terrorism but from laws such as these."
Last week, Blair told reporters that he didn't think "those
words would be uttered now" in British jurisprudence. Expect British courts
to change.
Blair is pushing anti-terror legislation that would allow
authorities to detain suspects for more than 14 days. The Blair government
also wants to create new offenses — "indirect incitement" to terrorism,
preparing an attack and attending a terrorist training camp.
Civil libertarians fear that free speech could be the first
casualty of the incitement-to-terror measure. Where were they — I wonder —
in 1986, when Parliament made incitement to racial hatred illegal and
commenced some 40 prosecutions in the next five years?
Law enforcement will change, even if police are unlikely to be
as armed as American police. The shooting of a suspect who turned out to be
innocent appalled a public with little patience for gun violence. Be it
noted, then, that authorities used a stun gun when they apprehended
suspected July 21 bomber Yasin Hassan Omar last week.
Immigration policies already are changing, as the government —
finally — seems poised to deport Islamic extremists who support terrorism
to countries that had been off limits, because of poor human-rights records
or support of the death penalty. Most notably, Abu Qatada — believed to be
the spiritual adviser of Sept. 11 ringleader Mohammed Atta, would-be shoe
bomber Richard Reid and would-be U.S. terrorist Zacarias Moussaoui — should
be headed for Jordan.
Bully for Blair, who has long understood that the United
Kingdom's desire to welcome immigrants should not require it to smother its
instinct for self-defense. No country should, or should feel it has to,
harbor immigrants who preach violence against its citizens.
Cherie Blair better change. Three years ago, the P.M.'s wife, a
human-rights lawyer, outraged many when she gave this dubious justification
for Palestinian suicide bombers: "As long as young people feel they have no
hope but to blow themselves up, you are never going to make progress."
Mrs. B. was in Malaysia last week. She had supported the
December anti-detention ruling, and she shows little sign of changing her
views, even if they seem at odds with her husband. As the Daily Telegraph
reported, she warned against responding to "terror in a way which undermines
commitment to our most deeply held values and convictions, and which
cheapens our right to call ourselves a civilized nation."
After Sept. 11, Kennedy had been among those who argued that if
Brits "allow ourselves to get into a situation where in fact we are
suppressing our own individual rights, actually the terrorist begins to
win."
You hear it in America, too: If we curb civil liberties, the
terrorists win. It's a mindless mantra. First, the terrorists don't want
tougher laws. They want loose laws. And when government fails to pass laws
that make it easier to stop and prosecute them, the terrorists win.
People of good faith can differ on how Brit bobbies should be
armed, or how long authorities should be able to detain terrorism suspects.
But thinking people should be clear on this much: If the United States or
United Kingdom governments are cowed by attacks and buckle by changing their
policies, the terrorists really win.
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Comment JWR contributor Debra J. Saunders's column by clicking here. © 2005, Creators Syndicate |
Arnold Ahlert | |||||||||||
