By Sarah Swick, Minaret of Freedom Institute, www.minaret.org
In my last blog entry, I addressed some of the internal components that may have led to a radicalization of a few British Muslims. Realizing that the issue is complex with many different ingredients feeding the radicalization, I’d like to, now, address the issue that some analysts and Muslim groups blame for the problem: foreign policy.
After the revelation of the plot, Muslim groups and politicians in the UK wrote a letter to Prime Minister Blair suggesting that British foreign policy is partly to blame for the radicalization of Muslims in Britain. “To combat terror the government has focused extensively on domestic legislation. While some of this will have an impact, the government must not ignore the role of its foreign policy,†the letter said. “The debacle of Iraq and now the failure to do more to secure an immediate end to the attacks on civilians in the Middle East not only increases the risk to ordinary people in that region, it is also ammunition to extremists who threaten us all.†Of course, the government immediately rejected this claim.
I, however, believe this claim deserves closer analysis. If one thinks of the various countries in the Muslim World, it would be difficult to find more than a few places where Muslims are not suffering—either from conflict or government oppression. Through satellite television, the internet, and family ties Muslims in the West they are constantly reminded of the dire situation of their brothers and sisters in Islam. Many blame American and Britain support for corrupt governments in the Muslim World and they blame American and Britain for the wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, and most recently in Lebanon. But what is the real frustration for young Muslims in the West?
I believe the answer is clear: they see no plausible way of changing their own governments’ foreign policy, except, as they see it, through the use of violence.[1] Foreign policy, especially towards the Middle East, does not drastically change according to who is elected. Therefore, the ballot box, by itself, has proven an effective tool in changing these policies which lead to the suffering of millions of people.
So, when it is perceived that lobbies representing foreign interests control the policies of the government rather than its own citizens, it creates a frustration and feeling of helplessness. For Muslims, combine this frustration with daily discrimination and the confusion over identity, among other ingredients, and it would seem young Muslims in the West are vulnerable to a group that sympathizes with their frustrations and claims to have the ultimate solutions to these frustrations. If anything, this shows the absolute desperation of a generation literally dying to be heard.
Therefore, I support the call to change British, and also American, foreign policy, if not simply for the fact that these policies increase suffering around the World, but also because the government should listen to, represent, and protect the security of its civtizens, not act on behalf of the highest bidders.
