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Blair told in 2004 of extremism
28/08/2005 09:05 - (SA)
Matt Moore
London - Tony Blair's office was warned more than a year before the London bombings that British involvement in Iraq was fuelling Muslim extremism at home, a newspaper reported.
The Observer published a leaked letter from foreign office permanent secretary Michael Jay to cabinet secretary Sir Andrew Turnbull from May 18, 2004, that said Britain's foreign policy in the Middle East was "a key driver" for the recruitment of extremists.
The newspaper said it obtained a copy of the letter in which Jay wrote a "recurring theme" in Britain's Muslim community was "the issue of British foreign policy, especially in the context of the middle east peace process and Iraq."
A spokesperson for the prime minister's office, who didn't give his name because as a civil servant he is not allowed to be quoted by name, said he would not comment on leaked documents.
Attached to the letter was a strategy document that said Britain was now viewed by extremists as a "crusader state," the paper reported, citing the document, entitled "Building Bridges with Mainstream Islam."
Prime Minister Tony Blair's government has rejected suggestions that the July 7 London bombings on three underground trains and a bus, which killed at least 56 people, were related to Britain's support for the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.
In the letter, Jay also wrote Britain's foreign policy "plays a significant role in creating a feeling of anger and impotence among especially the younger generation of British Muslims. This seems to be a key driver behind recruitment by extremist organizations."
There are about two million Muslims in Britain, and the overwhelming majority are moderate in their views. But extremist groups have been active in recent years, distributing inflammatory leaflets outside mosques.
Blair's government, which committed forces to the Iraq war despite widespread public opposition, is sensitive to suggestions that its involvement in the conflict has heightened the risk of terrorist attack.
Last month, two leading British think tanks said that Britain's close alliance with the US and involvement in both Iraq and Afghanistan had left it vulnerable to terror attacks.
The Royal Institute of International Affairs, known as Chatham House, and the Economic and Social Research Council also said the situation in Iraq had given "a boost to the al-Qaeda network's propaganda, recruitment and fund-raising" and provided an ideal training ground for al-Qaeda-linked terrorists.
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