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Thursday, 15 June 2017
 

Periscope: From Londonistan to Just London (1)

Our hearts are full of sorrow for those innocent full of life who fall victims to a terrorist attack on 3 June on London Bridge

fuelled by fanatic out of boundaries of  history and our deepest sympathy for the families of those who have  died or wounded and whom we wish an early recovery.
Before focusing on the main theme “Londonistan” there are two points that needs to be stressed on and for which the British people and government should be highly commanded for; one the decision to go on with the musical concert at Manchester City on Sunday one day after the attack on London Bridge in a very strong show of defiance to terrorism. The second that the decision that general elections scheduled on 8 June will not be postponed and British political leaders saying that terrorism will not defeat democracy.  
Also, the British police must be highly commended for the quick response as took only 8 minutes between receiving the warning and neutralizing the terrorists who it should be noted was wearing fucked suicide belts to spread terror.
Same time all this should not make us ignore the strategic mistakes committed by constructive British governments in dealing with the challenges of extremism and terrorism.
The mid- to late 1990s were the years when Britain's capital earned the sobriquet of "Londonistan," a title provided by French officials infuriated at the growing presence of Islamist radicals in London and the failure of British authorities to do anything about it..Raids in France and Belgium had produced phone and fax numbers linked to the United Kingdom, and names of suspects were passed on. Some French officials believe that if more had been done by Britain at the time, the network behind the Summer of 1995 bombings might have been broken up and the attacks prevented.
The bombings and attempted bombings, mostly in Paris, in summer and autumn of 1995 by Armed Islamic Group (GIA), killed eight and injured more than 100. The French observed that a number of Muslim radicals from London had connections to these bombings. Around that year, in 1995, the French intelligence had coined the term "Londonistan" for the city of London.
The perception of "Londonistan" is powered by the strong foothold of Islamic radical fundamentalism in the region. It is believed that the "Londonistan" environment radicalizes British Muslim youth (involving the strife in identity politics, such as the perception of racism and decadence in British culture) and that it is ineffective in combating the Islamic radical entities.
According to critics, Britain's "deep tradition of civil liberties and protection of political activists" led to the country becoming "a crossroads for would-be terrorists" for a decade after the mid 1990s. The Islamists used London "as a home base" to "raise money, recruit members and draw inspiration from the militant messages. The British government's perceived unwillingness to prosecute or extradite terrorist suspects provoked tensions with countries in which attacks occurred. Allegations of a British policy of appeasement of Islamists were made and denied by members of the British government who debated the issue.
Today, 4 June the UK Prime Minister Teresa May made two important points; one that “Enough is Enough: pointing to the three consecutive terrorists attacks within one month and the second, “When it comes to countering extremism and terrorism ,things needs to change”.
This is easily said than done as we see in next part of this article when reviewing quickly the most important and informative book on this issue
Meanwhile, let us end with the message which the international singer Ariana Grande made on the eve of her concert (Love Manchester) tonight 3 June in Manchester City “Join us in sending a message to the world that hate and fear will not win”.