Posted on 07/04/2007 9:21:23 AM PDT by NCjim
Gordon Brown has banned ministers from using the word Muslim in connection with the terrorism crisis.
The Prime Minister has also instructed his team including new Home Secretary Jacqui Smith that the phrase war on terror is to be dropped.
The shake-up is part of a fresh attempt to improve community relations and avoid offending Muslims, adopting a more consensual tone than existed under Tony Blair.
However, the change provoked claims last night that ministers are indulging in yet more political correctness.
The sudden shift in tone emerged in comments by Mr Brown and Ms Smith in the wake of the failed attacks in London and Glasgow.
Mr Browns spokesman acknowledged yesterday that ministers had been given specific guidelines to avoid inflammatory language.
There is clearly a need to strike a consensual tone in relation to all communities across the UK, the spokesman said. It is important that the country remains united.
He confirmed that the phrase war on terror strongly associated with Mr Blair and US President George Bush has been dropped.
Officials insist that no direct links with Muslim extremists have been publicly confirmed by police investigating the latest attempted terror attacks. Mr Brown himself did not refer to Muslims or Islam once in a BBC TV interview on Sunday. Ms Smith also avoided any such reference in her statement to MPs yesterday.
She said: Let us be clear terrorists are criminals, whose victims come from all walks of life, communities and religions. Terrorists attack the values shared by all law-abiding citizens. As a Government, as communities, as individuals, we need to ensure that the message of the terrorists is rejected.
Tory backbencher Philip Davies said: I dont know what purpose is served by this. I dont think we need pussyfoot around when talking about terrorism.
But former Tory homeland security spokesman Patrick Mercer said: This is quite a smart idea. We know that the vast majority of Muslims are not involved in terrorism and we have to accept there are sensitivities about these matters.
All our ancestors are rolling in their graves as well. What’s going on in our country and in our Congress is equally as appalling and destructive. Liberals and RINO’s would have us go down the same path as the Brits. Apparently, World War II didn’t teach them anything about their enemies.
So tell me, how’s America different than Europe? Further tell me the last time you read a newspaper or listened to television when they’ve told you the ethnicity of an inner city robber or rapist. Before I left San Diego we had a Hispanic raping women in hospital parking lots and the local papers would not identify the person’s ethnicity. It was incumbent upon the person reading the article to figure it out for themselves.
I googled for pics of her, and that was the best I could find. The official photo is fuzzy and hard to make out. I think that was taken by a Canadian newsman outside Number Ten.
Umm the IRA put away their rifles. Who do you think is setting off the bombs now, the Amish?
I really wish Prince Harry would strike his banner and rally his countrymen. The military and soccer hooligans would rally. The UK needs a temporary monarchy. I don’t think Prince william has the b@lls for it, but Harry does.
I will reset the clock when England has another major killing of it’s citizens because of fringe nuts like Brown.
He will simply call them fundamentalists. That way the press can pretend they’re Christian fundmentalists.
I agree. If he doesn’t go mad because his handlers won’t let him DO anything, Harry has a lot of promise. That’s why I’d like to see him go to Afghanistan. He might get killed, possibly, but if they tuck him into a box and lock it away, he’ll never get a chance to find himself.
Davies had best beware - the use of the word "pussyfoot" will be banned next...
Um, aren’t most terrorists MUSLIM? I mean if most grass is Green, is it ok to refer to the grass as GREEN???
America isn’t different than Europe. That’s the pathetic tragedy. We have a Congress comprised of arrogant elitists who are too preoccupied with their own personal quest for power to worry about our nation’s security.
Of course. Just look at the success the Israelis have had with Tzipi Livni...
Yeah, they put their weapons away...after a few decades.
Hmm. Maybe the Tories need to promote this guy. First decent thing I’ve heard a Tory say for more than ten years.
What a mothe***er.
Winston Churchill would be ashamed :
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1860707/posts
No, haven’t you learned anything about political correctness the last ten years in America?
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