According to an opinion poll in which 1,000 British Muslims were surveyed, one in five Muslims have sympathy for those who chose to leave Britain to become a fighter in Syria. The survey showed that 19% felt some or a lot of sympathy for the young Muslims who went to Syria. The poll was published in The Sun newspaper.
This poll has led to a group of 200 Islamic scholars to write a letter in which they showed unity and stated that “so-called Islamic State... are an evil and fundamental threat to the peace and harmony in any society”.
They also stated how “deeply saddening that this violence is being committed in the name of Islam”.
Regarding this poll, a researcher at the Islamic Human Rights Commission, Arzu Merali said, “There is a feeling within the Muslim community against increasing intervention as there has always been a lack of consistency in Western foreign policy when it comes to these things. It's not surprising or a contradiction for Muslims to be against 'Daesh' [a term Isis is also referred as] and against intervention, as military interventions simply escalate the violence and the community is well aware that fighting will not solve anything.”
Sadiq Khan, MP for Tooting, and Labour's London Mayoral candidate, spoke to The Sun stating, “It is clear that Britain needs to take its head out of the sand and act to tackle extremism and radicalisation at home. Tackling extremism is a challenge for everyone but I believe British Muslims have a special role to play.”
Although many have condemned the recent terror attacks which have taken place, we cannot neglect the fact that home-grown terrorists have become very prevalent over the years. Why would one want to sabotage and ruin a place where they were born in, a place where they grew up and called home? It is their mindset that everyone seems to be baffled about and we seem to not comprehend why one would turn against the country that had given them unlimited freedom.
One such example of alleged suspected terrorists who were born and bred in the UK are Mohammed Rehman (25), and his “secret” wife, Sana Ahmed Khan (24), who were both from Reading.
It is said that a hunting knife was reportedly seized from the couple, who were said to have planned to carry out an alleged terror attack on 7th July, which marked the 10th anniversary of the bombings in London.
It has also been reported that police had confiscated chemicals for a large bomb, which may have caused “multiple fatalities”.
The couple deny the allegations against them and the trial continues.
One does wonder why would someone be lured to live a life of atrocity? Where is Britain going wrong? What can be done to prevent further UK-born terrorists to emerge? These are some questions that run in most people's minds, and this is certainly something that the British Government can contemplate and work on. Even if a minor group of people sympathise with Isis, it is still astonishing and something that needs to be reflected on.
