Det er en deprimerende story som går igjen over hele Europa: myndighetene lar en bestemt type muslimer slippe til som politiserer og islamiserer alle spørsmål. De unge tror det er disse som er verd å etterligne for de har oppnådd suksess og innflytelse. Dermed svikter myndighetene alle de som er britiske borgere først og så muslimer.

Det er nok å se på flere av de som Blair-regjeringen tok med på råd etter 7/7.

Proof of the British State’s institutional weakness came directly in the aftermath of the 7/7 bombings. At the Prime Minister’s behest the Home Office established a series of working groups to tackle the threat of Islamic extremism. A variety of individuals were appointed whose past statements or current affiliations made them very curious conscripts in the struggle against extremism.

Among those appointed was Ahmad Thomson, a convert to Islam who has argued in the past that Hitler was supported by Zionist financiers and Muslims are obliged to want to live in an Islamic state. Another figure appointed was Ibrahim Hewitt, who sits on the ruling council of Respect, the political party founded by George Galloway, which fuses together the Trotskyist SWP and the Islamist MAB. Also invited to advise the Government was Professor Tariq Ramadan, grandson of Hassan al-Banna, founder of the Muslim Brotherhood. Professor Ramadan is not, of course, obliged to follow in the footsteps of his forebears. But he gives it a good try.

Hvorfor velger regjeringene seg slike samarbeidspartnere? Hvorfor lar redaksjonene dem slippe til, med sin dogmatikk, og utfall mot annerledestenkende?

Islamistene ser at det lønner seg å være pågående. De merker at det ikke er noen motstand.

In Islamist circles a complementary message is absorbed. The British State does not have the courage to face down the advocates of political Islam. Islamists in Britain scent weakness. Just as Islamists abroad believe the West does not have the stamina to resist for long, so Islamists within the UK believe the momentum is with them. Islam’s Leninists have drawn the bayonet, probed, and found mush.

Dessverre har nå de trangsynte fått etablere interesseorganisasjoner. Myndighetene innledes samarbeid det er vanskelig å bryte. Dette er organisasjoner som anlegger en muslimsk synsvinkel på alt. Det ender lett opp som «oss» mot «dem», og myndighetene lar seg presse.

A narrow version of Islam has been privileged, theological conservatism reinforced and political radicalism given room to advance. A rising generation has been encouraged by those Muslims most prominent in public life to put their Islamic identity ahead of their British citizenship. That generation will have heard the Muslims most fêted by government pay tribute to terrorist leaders and fundamentalist ideologues as figures worthy of respect. That generation will also have had its sense of grievance nurtured even as its sense of separateness has been reinforced. For Islamists and their allies, it has been a golden prospect.

Moderate eller kultur-muslimer undrer seg. De flyktet fra en slik nidkjær, dogmatisk religion, og opplever nå å møte den i Vesten.

Michael Gove kommer den 29. juni ut med boken:

Celsius 7/7, published by Weidenfeld & Nicolson on June 29 at £9.99. Order copies for £8.99

To allow Islamists to direct the post-7/7 debate was a disaster
Michael Gove