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Islamic Human Rights Commission

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8 November 2005

Press Release: Terror Bill will Fuel Community Tensions

The Islamic Human Rights Commission is warning that new draconian anti-terror laws risk alienating British Muslims and could fuel community tensions.

For over four years, anti-terror laws have been perceived as a tool to terrorise the Muslim community. This has caused widespread alienation from mainstream society with a rapidly diminishing level of faith in the British justice system.

IHRC Chair Massoud Shadjareh stated:

“We are currently seeing the terrifying result of alienation of Muslim communities in France. Persistent harassment of any community by the state will only lead to such ghettoisation and frustration.”

7-7 failures were due to a lack of intelligence rather than a lack of draconian legislation and powers. Rather than reduce the terror threat, policies such as internment, false arrest, closure of mosques and daily harassment and intimidation will only further increase alienation. Criminalising the religious and political beliefs of Muslims has only strengthened the widely-held perception that this is indeed a war on Islam.

IHRC recalls that in a show of unprecedented unity, over 200 Muslim organisations and personalities signed up to a statement opposing the new anti-terror laws. The government’s insistence on pushing it through in spite of this is a clear sign of its disdain towards the Muslim community which has always agreed to work with the government for a safer Britain.

Notes for Editor:

The IHRC report ‘British Anti-Terrorism: A Modern Day Witch-hunt’, by Fahad Ansari, 102pp, ISBN: 1-903718-36-8 can be downloaded as a PDF file without charge from:

https://www.ihrc.org.uk/file/2005BritishANtiTerrorism.pdf

For more information please contact (+44) 20 8904 4222, or (44) 7958 522196 or email:info@ihrc.org.[ ENDS ]

Islamic Human Rights Commission
PO Box 598
Wembley
HA9 7XH
United Kingdom

Telephone (+44) 20 8904 4222
Fax (+44) 20 8904 5183
Email: info@ihrc.org
Web: www.ihrc.org

info@ihrc.org