Britain ought to look seriously into a more intelligent way of combating terrorism, writes Said Shehata* In December 2004, the 2001 anti- terrorism, crime and security act was considered unlawful by a panel of nine Law Lords, the highest court in the United Kingdom. This is because the act permitted the indefinite detention -- without charge or trial -- of foreign nationals suspected of terrorism and who could not be deported to their home country. Following the 7 July 2005 incident in London, the terrorism bill of 2005 was addressed before parliament in October. Under this act, the government can close any place of worship if it is used to foster hatred and terrorist acts. It also allows for the deportation of foreign preachers who come to Britain and influence people to commit terrorist acts. The most controversial measure of this bill was to extend the pre-charge detention period from 14 to 90 days. Tony Blair was heavily criticised, with Lord Phillips (Britain's top judge) claiming that "occasionally one feels that an individual politician is trying to browbeat the judiciary, and that is wholly inappropriate." I would argue that Blair's defeat was more about his credibility than it was about the measure itself. Striking a balance between civil rights and the safety of the people is very difficult to achieve. If the government wants to crackdown on terrorism, other measures mentioned in the article -- in particular those regarding greater integration of minorities and the vital role of the media and educational institutions -- must be considered further. Based on my research and readings of both Islamic movements and British laws (including the procedures put forward by the home secretary), I would suggest that certain policies be further discussed by all parties concerned in order to eliminate the Islamic threat in Britain. With approximately 2,000 mosques in Britain, and an average of 3,000 sheikhs preaching in those mosques, there is still no review or examination of the Islamic knowledge of those sheikhs. A review of this system must start now to prevent fanatic doctrines. The sheikhs' speeches in mosques should be monitored and analysed by researchers to evaluate whether or not they help the cause of peace and co-existence. Moreover, the government should take a serious step towards further integrating religious minorities into British society. The media and education system should also include more comprehensive information about Islam to counter existing stereotypes. The government must also take actions to spread Muslim minorities throughout the country and discourage the formation of closed communities in specific areas. Furthermore, greater efforts should be made to overcome language barriers. The Muslim Council of Britain and other Islamic institutions should set up an accredited committee of religious scholars to outline the main elements of Islam that should be followed by Muslims in Britain. There seems to be confusion between "true" Islamic practice and different interpretations of religion. Finally, universities and research institutes should devote more resources to research. The few studies that have been carried out have a tendency to be affected by stereotypes and are too simplistic. Under the banner civil rights and tolerance what happened in July 2005 was inevitable and expected. The formation of British policies to counter terrorism needs to be planned more carefully. * The writer is an expert in Islamic movements in the Middle East and a lecturer in Middle East politics at London Metropolitan University.
