Terrorists recently attempted to detonate two car bombs in London, and a man tried to ram an SUV filled with explosives into a Scottish airport. I will repeat what I stated in a prior post following an attempt to kidnap and behead a British soldier who is a Muslim and who had fought in Afghanistan:
I cannot state this strongly enough: The entire Islamic community there needs to weed out the extremists in their midst through whatever means necessary. Now. If this does not occur, then I fear that the British people will not tolerate this threat much longer. They may start harming innocent Muslims – or worse.
During the summer of 2001, I studied journalism in London while working as an intern for a magazine and as a bartender in the evenings. I lived in the southwest neighborhood of South Kensington, and that August the Real IRA (a splinter group of the Irish Republican that was opposed to any peace settlements) exploded a car bomb in the city. It occurred nowhere near where I lived or worked, but it was still unnerving.
However, I was amazed when I saw the oft-described “stiff upper lip” of the British people. People dismissed the attack and went on with their lives. No one freaked out. Of course, such a reaction a psychological defense that people develop when faced with a constant threats. (Israelis, in particular, have perfected this attitude. They say, “Eh, whatever happens, happens.” I sometimes wish I had such gumption when I thought I was a bad situation on a Jerusalem bus.)
Following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Americans did freak out. And these feelings, irrational though understandable, ultimately led to the war in Iraq, the Patriot Act, and Guantanamo Bay. We did not develop a “stiff upper lip” because we had never needed to do so. This was something completely new and different. When the next terrorist attack occurs — and I’m sure it will — I hope that Americans will not react in the same way. I like the Constitution and the fact that the United States is not at war with Iran.
But, does my statement that the British take terrorist threats in stride conflict with my view that Muslims risk negative and violent reprisals there if continued attacks occur? No. The terrorist threats posed by the IRA and extremist Muslims are not similar at all – and I believe they are perceived differently by the British public.
The desire of the Irish minority in Northern Ireland for independence was rational and understandable, even if the methods used to achieve that end were horrific. The desire of extremist Muslisms to establish an Islamic state, among other goals, is completely irrational and inane, so the British will be less, well, understanding. (The debate over the Islamic veil is a sign that such a conflict is already brewing.) The British will tolerate these terrorist attacks for a while as part of their cultural mentality, but there will be a breaking point. And then I fear what would happen next.
Elsewhere: There is another advantage to the British system of dealing with terrorism, as a Boston Globe editorial notes: “Britain is fighting terrorists without branding them unlawful enemy combatants, without torturing them, and without frightening the populace with evocations of an apocalyptic war between good and evil.”
This is especially positive because Britain faces a greater threat from terrorism than the United States due to its proximity to the Middle East and the larger number of immigrants in the country.
