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'Don't mention Islamic extremists': Government phrasebook tries to avoid upsetting Muslims
Evening Standard (UK) ^ | 2/6/2008 | Unattributed

Posted on 02/06/2008 9:54:46 AM PST by mojito

The Government has drawn up a controversial phrasebook on the language of terrorism and is insisting civil servants no longer blame fanatical extremism on Islam, for fear of upsetting the Muslim community.

The new counter-terrorism guidelines suggest that phrases such as "Islamic terrorist" and "jihadi fundamentalism" are too inflammatory and imply that all Muslims explicitly are responsible for extremism.

Instead the leaked Home Office document advises Whitehall bosses that they refer to violent extremism and criminal murderers or thugs to avoid any link between Islam and terrorism.

However, the war on terror handbook has provoked an unfavourable response from people claiming the Government are bowing under the pressure of political correctness.

New phrasebook has been drawn up by the Home Office to prevent civil servants using 'aggressive' language that places the blame for terrorism on the whole Muslim community

The document warns that civil servants, police forces and local councils should abandon "aggressive rhetoric".

It also claims that the use of concepts like "the struggle for values" or "a battle of ideas" plays into the hands of those who wish to frame the issue in terms of a clash of civilisations between Islam and the West.

A more productive approach is to stress the idea of shared values, it suggests.

"This is not intended as a definitive list of what not to say but rather to highlight terms which risk being misunderstood and therefore prevent the effective reception of the message," states the document, part of a pack created by the Home Office and Department for Communities and Local Government.

A Home Office spokeswoman confirmed that the document had been distributed to "key delivery partners" including chief constables, local authorities and Government offices a few weeks ago.

She added: "The pack is the first of a series of communications intended to brief partners about recent work to develop the 'prevent' strand of the Government's counter-terrorism strategy and help them to identify further contributions they can make to this agenda.

"The 'prevent' strand relies on all sectors - public, private, voluntary and community - working with central government in its aim of stopping people becoming or supporting violent extremists.

"Coherent and effective cross-government communications are important in relation to countering terrorism. Language is part of this work.

"To engage effectively with local communities, we need consistent, clear and appropriate communications. If our messages are ambiguous or untargeted they will not reach or be understood by those who need to hear them and we risk having a negative impact on our audiences.

"The communications guidance is based on in-depth, qualitative research, but is not intended to be prescriptive."

But Tory MP and security expert Patrick Mercer said to the Daily Express: "It is no help to strike out words like Islamist. What else do we call these people?"

"I understand the sensitivities of parts of our communities. But a vast majority of Muslims, who are law abiding, understand what the problem is."

The guidelines make up part of a £45million plan to tackle violent extremism in local communities and win the "hearts and minds" of Muslims.

They also show the simplistic criteria communities secretary, Hazel Blears, is using to distribute the money over the next three years.

In the first year the funds will only be handed out to areas with a Muslim population of more than 4,000 based on 2001 census data.

"This data is now 6-7 years old and given high population growth in Muslim communities is likely to be fairly out-of-date," says the internal Whitehall correspondence.

The limitations of this approach suggest there is only a very limited official understanding of the nature and geography of violent extremism in Britain.

Using the out-of-date information will mean that six key areas currently being funded will miss out on the new criteria.

This includes Crawley which was home to three of the five men convicted over the Operation Crevice plot to bomb the Bluewater shopping centre, in Kent, and the Ministry of Sound nightclub in London.


TOPICS: Extended News; Government; United Kingdom; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: crushislam; dhimmitude; eurabia; islam; islamicextremists; islamicterrorist; islamintheuk; londonistan; mosqueandstate; muslims; pcinsanity; politicalcorrectness; rageboy; thereisnoenglandnow; ukmuslims
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To: mojito

“Jews and Christians shall be allowed to live, but only under Islamic rule” Koran


21 posted on 02/06/2008 10:37:12 AM PST by CIDKauf (No man has a good enough memory to be a successful liar.)
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To: mojito
WHAT ABOUT OUR OWN STATE DEPARTMENT!

I don't think they are allowed to use either the term "Islamic extremist" or something very similar!

22 posted on 02/06/2008 10:39:14 AM PST by Ooh-Ah
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To: F15Eagle

Abongo “Roy” Obama ??? His brother? HA HA HA!!!
A “Black Code of Beliefs”??? Boy THAT will go over great with the voters.

Somebody should point out to Farrakan that Khaddafi is an Arab or Berber - that would make him a blue-eyed devil - given a very DARK one.

All of this is actually great news for conservatives who want to torpedo McLame’s boat. After a few months of this turkey (obamarama) in office, the electorate will be SCREAMING for a real conservative.

I have been rethinking my views on Democracy. Perhaps the Founding Fathers only got it half right. That part about all men being created equal and having certain unalienable rights. That was correct only in that time and place when men were willing to fight and die for those rights. Today, they apparently aren’t even willing to READ for them.

Perhaps the best political system is the political system which succeeds and democracy will go the way of monarchies. After all, monarchies lasted for millenia. Democracy has only been around for a few centuries.

I am writting in a Presidential candidate - I haven’t figured out if its Genghis Khan or George Washington or Ronald Reagan.

All our choices are bad ones.


23 posted on 02/06/2008 10:41:50 AM PST by ZULU (Non nobis, non nobis Domine, sed nomini tuo da gloriam. God, guts and guns made America great.)
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To: mojito

So I suppose that RAGHEAD is out of the question.


24 posted on 02/06/2008 10:46:37 AM PST by ohioman
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To: mojito

Bull Puckey... Keep offending the cultists. Makes it easier to draw a bead on ‘em when they pop up, shouting about being victims.

Lock and Load.

And, this is certainly NOT Britain’s finest hour. Not even close... Apologists and appeasers will be the death of freedom in the world if we don’t stop them, now.


25 posted on 02/06/2008 10:47:19 AM PST by PubliusMM (RKBA; a matter of fact, not opinion...)
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To: mojito

“My hovercraft is full of infidels.”


26 posted on 02/06/2008 10:48:41 AM PST by andy58-in-nh (Kill the terrorists, secure the borders, and give me back my freedom.)
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To: kellynla

I hope that you’re right, but I am afraid that there will be too many who will blame America first for the “negative” treatment of Islam.


27 posted on 02/06/2008 10:52:38 AM PST by 353FMG (Vote for the Person who will do the least damage to our country.)
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To: 353FMG

I couldn’t care less who or what the muzzies or anyone else blame for anything regarding them.

Our ancestors didn’t risk life & limb to emigrate to this country just so a bunch of camel jockeys could come here, terrorize our women & children and make hamburger out of our families. One more attack and every muzzie swinging dick will have to pack up his koran & family and go back to whatever hellhole they came from.


28 posted on 02/06/2008 11:07:38 AM PST by kellynla (Freedom of speech makes it easier to spot the idiots! Semper Fi!)
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To: F15Eagle

On the black book of values.....wow, why hasn’t the msm picked this apart where is the Clinton machine??


29 posted on 02/06/2008 11:45:48 AM PST by ThisLittleLightofMine
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Comment #30 Removed by Moderator

Comment #31 Removed by Moderator

To: mojito
Not England's finest hour.

A few memories here of a sometimes hard scrabble old England. This in my time there. We were laughingly chided by our American friends as "muddling through". Nothing to be done now, I fear. A little quote from Shakespeare's King John.

This England never did, nor never shall,
Lie at the proud foot of a conqueror.
But when it first did help wound itself.
Now these her princes are come home again.
Come the three corners of the world in arms,
And we shall shock them: nought shall make us rue,
If England to itself do rest but true.

The italics are mine.

32 posted on 02/06/2008 7:40:30 PM PST by Peter Libra
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