This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/nov/16/britains-response-must-avoid-playing-into-the-terrorists-hands
The article has changed 2 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
Previous version
1
Next version
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Britain’s response to Paris attacks must avoid playing into terrorists’ hands | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Matthew d’Ancona’s wish for increased military action against Isis militants is totally ill advised (Cameron has the power to order airstrikes. He should, 16 November). It would certainly be used by Isis as a tool for recruitment. Killing activists of an organisation that willingly sends its assassins to commit suicide in carrying out their lethal task is not going to inhibit its recruitment and training. It will simply prove the Isis point – as they see it. It is not an enemy as in any previous war. | Matthew d’Ancona’s wish for increased military action against Isis militants is totally ill advised (Cameron has the power to order airstrikes. He should, 16 November). It would certainly be used by Isis as a tool for recruitment. Killing activists of an organisation that willingly sends its assassins to commit suicide in carrying out their lethal task is not going to inhibit its recruitment and training. It will simply prove the Isis point – as they see it. It is not an enemy as in any previous war. |
| The west finds it difficult to understand how religion can have such a hold on individuals, and it may only be a minority of Muslims who will resort to terrorism for what they see as a holy objective. However, they see the so-called Christian countries as degenerate and dangerous. For them Britain has a state church, clerics in parliament and state-supported religious schools. It also supports action against Muslims in Palestine, Iraq, Libya, Afghanistan and, potentially, Syria. | The west finds it difficult to understand how religion can have such a hold on individuals, and it may only be a minority of Muslims who will resort to terrorism for what they see as a holy objective. However, they see the so-called Christian countries as degenerate and dangerous. For them Britain has a state church, clerics in parliament and state-supported religious schools. It also supports action against Muslims in Palestine, Iraq, Libya, Afghanistan and, potentially, Syria. |
| One desperately urgent, though hugely difficult, task is to build a massive global movement of non-violent Muslims, with imams and other religious and community leaders, identifiable and vocal enough to be influential in demonstrating that the violent activists are indeed a minority.Michael MeadowcroftLeeds | One desperately urgent, though hugely difficult, task is to build a massive global movement of non-violent Muslims, with imams and other religious and community leaders, identifiable and vocal enough to be influential in demonstrating that the violent activists are indeed a minority.Michael MeadowcroftLeeds |
| • Matthew d’Ancona is wrong to urge the prime minister to order British airstrikes in Syria straight away. Here Cameron shouldn’t bypass the Commons. | • Matthew d’Ancona is wrong to urge the prime minister to order British airstrikes in Syria straight away. Here Cameron shouldn’t bypass the Commons. |
| On 3 November, the foreign affairs select committee published its report saying there should be no British airstrikes in Syria without a coherent international strategy to both defeat Isis and end the Syrian civil war. The committee listed seven points the government should explain before asking the Commons to approve a motion authorising military action. Can the government now give a satisfactory explanation on the points, so enabling MPs to reach a decision?Dr Alex MayManchester | On 3 November, the foreign affairs select committee published its report saying there should be no British airstrikes in Syria without a coherent international strategy to both defeat Isis and end the Syrian civil war. The committee listed seven points the government should explain before asking the Commons to approve a motion authorising military action. Can the government now give a satisfactory explanation on the points, so enabling MPs to reach a decision?Dr Alex MayManchester |
| • Matthew d’Ancona choses to traduce our spontaneous expressions of solidarity with our French neighbours into gratuitous attacks on Jeremy Corbyn and Angela Merkel, alongside a further eulogy of Theresa May’s immediate grab for yet more surveillance, at the very time when the impact of her and George Osborne’s winding-down of our traditional police force is rendering them invisible on the streets. | • Matthew d’Ancona choses to traduce our spontaneous expressions of solidarity with our French neighbours into gratuitous attacks on Jeremy Corbyn and Angela Merkel, alongside a further eulogy of Theresa May’s immediate grab for yet more surveillance, at the very time when the impact of her and George Osborne’s winding-down of our traditional police force is rendering them invisible on the streets. |
| Luckily there are wiser people around who can, to use d’Ancona’s words, both “bathe in the spa of grief, and then move on” – to question whether yet more bombs are any more likely to resolve this murderous impasse than the untold thousands already dropped, which still left so many innocents dead in Paris last Friday night.Ralph WindleWitney, Oxfordshire | Luckily there are wiser people around who can, to use d’Ancona’s words, both “bathe in the spa of grief, and then move on” – to question whether yet more bombs are any more likely to resolve this murderous impasse than the untold thousands already dropped, which still left so many innocents dead in Paris last Friday night.Ralph WindleWitney, Oxfordshire |
| • While I wholeheartedly agree that the attacks on Paris were horrific, I do not feel that changing Europe’s open door policy for refugees will help solve the current crisis of attacks by Isis (World leaders urge Putin to reach deal that would end Syria war, 16 November). Do people really feel that, by limiting the number of refugees allowed to enter Europe, this will stop them trying? This reverse in policy can only lead to more innocent deaths of refugees drowning on their crossing, being unable to land. Deaths of refugees over the past year have shocked the nations, so why are we going to change our view of refugees because people closer to home have been killed, possibly by someone posing as a refugee. Why are the individuals’ loss of life in Paris more valuable than the loss of life of refugees?Beth ButlerNewcastle upon Tyne | • While I wholeheartedly agree that the attacks on Paris were horrific, I do not feel that changing Europe’s open door policy for refugees will help solve the current crisis of attacks by Isis (World leaders urge Putin to reach deal that would end Syria war, 16 November). Do people really feel that, by limiting the number of refugees allowed to enter Europe, this will stop them trying? This reverse in policy can only lead to more innocent deaths of refugees drowning on their crossing, being unable to land. Deaths of refugees over the past year have shocked the nations, so why are we going to change our view of refugees because people closer to home have been killed, possibly by someone posing as a refugee. Why are the individuals’ loss of life in Paris more valuable than the loss of life of refugees?Beth ButlerNewcastle upon Tyne |
| • After every attack such as the one that Paris has just suffered, there is call for the intelligence service to gain more powers to prevent them happening again. France already has the kind of powers being talked about for Britain, and knew about some of the people who perpetrated this vile act, so what I’d like to know is, why didn’t they do anything about the information they had? Surely that’s a more useful question to ask?Bev NicolsonCambridge | • After every attack such as the one that Paris has just suffered, there is call for the intelligence service to gain more powers to prevent them happening again. France already has the kind of powers being talked about for Britain, and knew about some of the people who perpetrated this vile act, so what I’d like to know is, why didn’t they do anything about the information they had? Surely that’s a more useful question to ask?Bev NicolsonCambridge |
| • You report that the government is providing funds for extra staff at MI5, MI6 and GCHQ (PM to announce huge increase in airport security and intelligence, 16 November). Without wishing to disagree with this policy, I do wonder if this increase in staff needs extra funding. To adapt the PM’s spokesman’s suggestions to Oxfordshire council facing cuts, is it not possible that there is still significant scope for sensible savings across security agencies to be made by back-office consolidation, disposing of surplus property and joining up these security agencies?Tony ColeLondon | • You report that the government is providing funds for extra staff at MI5, MI6 and GCHQ (PM to announce huge increase in airport security and intelligence, 16 November). Without wishing to disagree with this policy, I do wonder if this increase in staff needs extra funding. To adapt the PM’s spokesman’s suggestions to Oxfordshire council facing cuts, is it not possible that there is still significant scope for sensible savings across security agencies to be made by back-office consolidation, disposing of surplus property and joining up these security agencies?Tony ColeLondon |
| • Join the debate – email guardian.letters@theguardian.com | • Join the debate – email guardian.letters@theguardian.com |
Previous version
1
Next version