Too Much Tolerance in London

When is religion not really religion? Where does the freedom of religion end, and criminal activity begin?

These questions are relevant today, as we examine the aftermath of recent terrorist events in London. The British have been surprisingly tolerant of extreme and radical teachings in their midst, disguised as religious views. Perhaps it is not wise to allow extremist views on violence and terrorism to be publicized, praised or advocated. Such views are no longer religious, and those individuals should not be considered part of any religion. When they advocate violence, terrorism and murder of innocents, they engage in conspiracy to commit murder. This is simply a crime against society.

One would think that after September 11, persons who advocated this type of violence would have been stopped, and that they would not be given any venues for their extremist views. Apparently this was not the case, and especially in Britain, they were allowed to continue.

For example, a particular cleric in London, Sheik Omar Bakri, has continued to preach his brand of hatred and violence for many years. After the first set of London subway bombings, he blamed the British government for the attacks, and said that more would come. He was correct.

To add insult to injury for the British people, he is on the public dole in Britain, so in essence, he is paid by the British government to preach jihad against the West. This situation is more than ironic, it is just plain stupid. There has been talk about deporting Sheik Bakri; perhaps they should jail him instead.

The jailing of persons who advocate violence is uncommon in societies where the freedom of speech and differing points of view are highly valued, but it has occurred in the past, long before the current rise of terrorism. In these extreme situations, such preachers of terrorism and global jihad need to be shut down. It is only common sense in a civilized society.

Schools and religious institutions have often taken on the role of teaching societies’ values. These values universally include teaching children not to murder or steal. To end this cycle of violence, the world needs to ensure that no one is indoctrinating children or adults into violence, terrorism and hate, and that the classic, universal moral values are taught instead.

And of course, in keeping with those universal values, containing those who preach violence should be done in a civilized, controlled and rational manner. Using excessive or random violence to curb violence has been proven time and again not to work. Violence begets more violence, and it certainly doesn’t set a good example for children, when the whole point is to teach them moral values.