Terrorism: Security not the answer says top expert The airport in Glasgow had no armed police on duty when an attempted terrorist attack was launched on 30 June, Scottish police admitted on Sunday.
Rome, 9 July (AKI) - Islamic terrorism can be defeated, but rather than military force and security lockdowns, the solution lies in respect for international law, integration of immigrant communities and respect for the human rights of those who dissent from government policy, one of the world's foremost terrorism experts, Brian Michael Jenkins, told Italian investigative weekly L'Espresso. The interview follows a suicide attack last week that killed seven Spanish tourists in Yemen and the failed carbombings in the British capital London and at Glasgow airport late last month. Investigators believe the attacks may be al-Qaeda linked. The recent attacks in Britain highlight two facts, one negative and one positive according to Jenkins. The worrying aspect is that al-Qaeda appears to have acquired a romantic appeal among Muslims who feel alienated by Anglo-American foreign policy in the Middle East and South Asia, he said. "Al-Qaeda is no longer even an ideology, but has become an epic narrative in which the young, dispossessed masses - from Karachi to Scotland - recognise themselves as characters," said Jenkins. He is a former US army commander in Vietnam, who is currently an advisor to the US national terrorism committee, special security advisor to the Vatican and a member of the US presidential committee on air safety, as well the author of numerous books. "In this narrative, young Muslims take up arms against their Western oppressors in the name of Allah, but also to reaffirm their dignity as human beings and the right to be able to express themselves freely without fear of criminal sanctions or marginalisation," Jenkins continued. The fight against terrorism unleashed by the US and its allies since al-Qaeda's deadly 11 September 2001 attacks on US cities has nonetheless seriously limited the the organisation's ability to prepare deadly attacks. Referring to the botched car bombings at Glasgow airport on 29 June and in central London on 30 June, Jenkins said: "These people to wanted to kill but didn't possess the technical capabilities or the intelligence data to carry out a fatal attack. "The recruits are not receiving the necessary training any more and we have probably destroyed many of their training camps and cut off their sources of funding," Jenkins said, adding that the failed London and Glasgow bombers were "far less extremist" than those carrying out attacks in the Middle East and South Asia. "They are not prepared to sacrifice themselves like they do in Iraq, Afghanistan and Yemen," he said. Police are currently holding eight suspects arrested in the UK and in Australia in connection with the botched attacks. Most are reported to be medics, several to be of Middle Eastern origin and at least three to be Indian. All reportedly had links to the British National Health Service, where they were employed or had trained or worked. Jenkins does not rule out succesful attacks in future, however. It is impossible for police to thwart every plot, he says. "The terrorists only need to strike once to cause irreperable damage. The current situation is similar to that in Europe during the 1970s - the so-called years of lead in Italy, and when the far-left Baader Meinhof gang was active in Germany, he notes. "The way forward lies in greater inclusion of the ethnic minorities, instead of treating the children of immigrants as if they were strangers in their own home," he stressed, arguing that it is undeniable that Europeans, especially the British, are making "pitiful" progress in integrating their sizeable Muslim minorities. "Citizens with dark skins become shadowy figures that flit along the walls, in part because they fear being labelled criminals, as frequently happens, but also because whites don't see them until they need them to do the lowest grade jobs," Jenkins said. Britain is now paying the price of its imperialist past, he argues. "We are not just talking about its policy in Iraq or Afghanistan, but all the injustices committed in the Middle East, in Central Asia, the sub-Continent, and in Africa. The English have also been very careless and as a result of their superficiality have formulated strongly anti-Muslim anti-terrorism policies," he argued. The British government's awarding last month of a knighthood to Salman Rushie, "unfortunately appears as a slap in the face to Muslims," Jenkins said, referring to the controversial author whose 1981 novel The Satanic Verses is widely viewed as blasphemous in the Muslim world. Asked if he saw a connection betweeen such "anti-Muslim" actions and the terror attacks, Jenkins replied: "It's hard to rule out this out, especially in light of the European and US stance towards Hamas in the Gaza Strip." "Hamas is certainly not the worst of evils, and it has been democratically elected. It is a reality, and we need to seek dialogue with it. We have relations with so many governments of dubious reputation which are openly hostile towards the West. Why not Hamas? What can be achieved by failing to do so, other than driving many youngsters into the arms of extremists?" he asked. http://www.adnkronos.com/AKI/English/Security/?id=1.0.1090348370 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
