Although parliament rejected the British prime minister's proposal to detain suspects for 90 days, human rights activists and Muslim groups still need to work hard to amend the anti-terrorism bill, writes Doaa El-Bey Prime Minster Tony Blair suffered the first hard blow to his policies during his eight years in power when lawmakers in the House of Commons rejected his plan to detain terror suspects for 90 days without charge. Blair's extension proposal was defeated by 322 votes to 291 in the lower House of Commons. A separate amendment to increase the current 14- day maximum detention period for terror suspects to 28 days was passed by 323 votes to 290. The proposal was opposed by members from the two major opposition parties, the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats, in addition to 49 members from Blair's Labour Party. Many Labour MPs fear the proposal posed a grave threat to civil liberties and chose to join the opposition to defeat the extension. Although Blair refused to compromise regarding the detention period, in the hope of winning the bill, the government offered some concessions which included allowing a top judge to review any detention case every seven days. In addition, a 'sunset clause' was added, which meant the measure would expire in a year unless approved by the parliament before the end of the year. Blair's defeat on this issue and his unwillingness to listen to his party has put his premiership in crisis. Labour MPs are now demanding that he stand down and that the reins of power be handed over to Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown. Azzam Tamimi, of the Muslim Council of Britain, believes that Blair's defeat has delivered a fatal blow to his political career. Tamimi argues that the prime minister's failure to gain the support of his own MPs indicates that he has lost his political authority and is a sign that this is the beginning of the end. "Before yesterday's vote we were talking about years or months; now people are talking about weeks or days," he added. In another development, a government- commissioned report published late last week concluded that perceived injustices in the British foreign policy -- particularly in the Middle East -- are helping to drive some British Muslims to extremism. Blair's reliance on police advice, and a dossier from Britain's anti-terror police chief who declared that the 90-day detention is absolutely necessary has put the prime minister's judgment in question. Many are drawing parallels with the controversy surrounding the lead up to the Iraq war, when intelligence on the existence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq formed a key argument for Britain to participate in the war against Iraq. However, human rights activists and Muslim groups still need to lobby for more support to amend other points in the anti-terrorism bill. Designed to tackle Muslim extremism, the bill bans the direct and indirect encouragement of acts of terrorism, including any statements that intend to glorify terror. The bill also outlaws selling extremist books, giving and receiving training in terrorist skills or involvement in any act of preparation of terrorism. The terrorism bill was drafted in the wake of the 7 July bombing on London's transport system that killed 56 including the four suspected suicide bombers. A failed copy cat attack two weeks later left no casualties. As Tamimi points out, Blair's defeat by no means constitutes the end of the battle. The bills will have to go through the House of Lords, which in all likelihood will return it to parliament for amendment because the Lords are not in favour of these restrictions. "Muslims and many non-Muslims are actively lobbying parliament because some MPs may still be brought on board. Public opinion needs to be made aware of the likely repercussions of further restrictions on civil liberties and human rights. It is the consciousness of the public that will force parliamentarians to rebel against the government when it comes to voting," he said. Tamimi added that the other challenge facing the government is the judiciary. Assuming these bills are passed, the true test will be how they hold up in the courts of law. "It is for this reason that the government is seeking to surpass the courts but many people here believe that is a formidable task and a quasi-impossible mission," he said. Even if Blair survives the terrorism bill defeat, he will find it more difficult than ever to press ahead with other controversial reforms. At least 89 rebel Labour MPs have already declared that they are prepared to defy Blair's 'legacy' reforms in education and health.
