London, UK, August 24 – The unveiling of 'unacceptable behaviours' by Home Secretary Charles Clarke and a speech to the Foreign Policy Centre by Conservative leadership hopeful David Cameron are yet further illustrations of the political opportunism utilised by some politicians in the 'war on terror'.
Even though the alleged bombers on 7 July 2005 in London were British nationals, it appears that events are being exploited to move against foreign nationals and asylum seekers. For some time now, the UK government has not accepted the assurances of tyrannical regimes in the Muslim world that they do not torture or mistreat prisoners. However it now seems that the government is willing to deport foreign nationals to countries known for gross human rights abuses. Further to this, the grounds on which deportation can take place have been widely criticised as being vague and ill-defined.
The description of Islamic extremists as Nazis and the call to closely regulate mosques by Conservative leadership hopeful David Cameron is the worst form of political expediency. It seems that Cameron is keen to cynically use the aftermath of the 7 July bombings to build his political career with 'gesture politics'. On a day, when the Home Secretary unveiled new plans, Cameron was keen to send a message that he could be tough on terrorism too.
Commenting on today's events, Dr Imran Waheed, Media Representative of Hizb ut-Tahrir Britain, said, "This is "gesture politics" of the worst kind. Will such measures be used to silence opposition to Western foreign policy or the _expression of solidarity with those living under occupation in the Muslim world? The Muslim community wonders whether such vague measures will be used to prevent the likes of the neo-Nazi sympathiser Jean Marie Le Pen or supporters of Israeli apartheid from visiting Britain, or are such proposals for Muslims only?"
"Entering into memoranda of understanding with some of the most brutal and corrupt regimes in the Muslim world, is yet another evidence of the cordial relations between Western governments and these dictatorships."
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Notes to Editors
Hizb ut-Tahrir is a non-violent political party that works throughout the Islamic world to resume the Islamic way of life by re-establishing the Islamic Khilafah [Caliphate].