Top British defense think tank: Multiculturalism has made UK a “soft touch” for jihadists

posted at 9:52 pm on February 14, 2008 by Allahpundit

Nothing you ain’t heard before but still somehow a bombshell, especially in light of the recent … unpleasantness. Not a day passes anymore without some British paper tapping this vein; the laundry list at the end of the post about the useful idiot of Canterbury has just the latest examples.

The work of a panel of senior military commanders, diplomats, politicians and academics, [the study] contrasts the erosion of national confidence with the “implacability” of Islamist terrorists.

The study calls for a radical shake-up of government to take away oversight of security and defence from “the arena of short-term party politics” – in the same way that interest rates are now set independently of politicians.

“The United Kingdom presents itself as a target, as a fragmenting, post-Christian society, increasingly divided about interpretations of its history, about its national aims, its values and in its political identity,” it states.

By contrast those who refuse to integrate into British society have a “firm self-image”.

“This is a problem worsened by the lack of leadership from the majority which in misplaced deference to “multiculturalism” failed to lay down the line to immigrant communities, thus undercutting those within them trying to fight extremism.

“We look like a soft touch. We are indeed a soft touch, from within and without.”

The authors suggest the world is living through a “time of remission” between the September 11 attacks six years ago and a yet-worse future atrocity which will deliver “an even greater psychological blow”.

They’re not thrilled with the cuts to the military either, especially the Royal Navy. Follow the link and read down for recommendations, including the creation of a joint oversight parliamentary panel chaired by the opposition that sounds a lot like congressional intelligence committees. Or, failing that, a whole lot of “hope” and “change” rhetoric. That seems to be pretty good at solving complex, intractable problems.

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Top British defense think tank: Multiculturalism has made UK a “soft touch” for jihadists

Exactly how much did they spend to figure that out?

amerpundit on February 14, 2008 at 9:53 PM

Multiculturalism has made UK a “soft touch” for jihadists

No shot, Sherlock.

Here’s another hot scoop fo ya: Multiculturalism has made USA a “soft touch”.

Denying the danger of this? Good luck, losers.

petefrt on February 14, 2008 at 9:57 PM

Think Tank is in the tank and up to it’s neck in fertilizer. DUH!

Kini on February 14, 2008 at 9:57 PM

Is there really a simple solution to this? Time machines aside, I don’t think there’s anything they can do except to stoke some sort of nationalistic fervor and prepare for a civil war. Or they could divide the country…

Seriously, how do you fix this once you’ve let it get this far? An important question since in 5 or 10 years we may be asking it.

blankminde on February 14, 2008 at 10:00 PM

The work of a panel of senior military commanders, diplomats, politicians and academics

surprising that any of the above came to such a conclusion, which any “common person” with common sense (not PC) could have told them in a minute for assuredly for much less.

IrishEyes on February 14, 2008 at 10:03 PM

Could we please take a lesson from this and not follow the Brits down the rat hole?

imshocked on February 14, 2008 at 10:04 PM

Could we please take a lesson from this and not follow the Brits down the rat hole?

imshocked on February 14, 2008 at 10:04 PM

Too late, we’re already there.

TOPV on February 14, 2008 at 10:06 PM

Could we please take a lesson from this and not follow the Brits down the rat hole?

imshocked on February 14, 2008 at 10:04 PM

Keep an eye on Michigan and Wisconsin.

Kini on February 14, 2008 at 10:08 PM

they’re waking up.

yeah!

better late than never.

at least they’re not waking up dead. yet.

SOLUTION: treating those who call for sharia (and commit “honor” crimes and generally deny the supremacy of secular law and the secular nation) as treasonous traitors; deporting the non-natives, and jailing the natives for life – or voluntary permanent exile.

i am serious.

they need to do it in the EU NOW.

Treat those who call for sharia (and commit “honor” crimes and generally deny the supremacy of secular law and the secular nation) as the treasonous traitors they are, and deport the non-natives, and jail the natives for life – or offer them voluntary permanent exile.

reliapundit on February 14, 2008 at 10:08 PM

Duh,and wait till open season starts!

canopfor on February 14, 2008 at 10:09 PM

The study calls for a radical shake-up of government to take away oversight of security and defence from “the arena of short-term party politics” -

Ok, so, let us take the responsibility for security and defense away from the elected politicians, and give that responsibility to someone else. Who would that be, eh? The professionals? The intellectuals?

If the politicians are administering the country poorly, why not find a better class of politician? If the voters are electing a poorly qualified representative, perhaps education is the problem?

It does sound oh so reasonable, the politicians are to blame, so lets have someone else run the country. So you have tried King, Pope, noble born, clerics, and now even democratically elected representatives. All have failed, who’s next? Perhaps a modern day Caesar? How well did that work out?

rockhauler on February 14, 2008 at 10:11 PM

Seriously, how do you fix this once you’ve let it get this far? An important question since in 5 or 10 years we may be asking it.

Start by enforcing the law (e.g., stopping illegal immigration, prosecute those who reveal classified info, such as the NYT, etc.), impeach judges that try to make up laws from the bench, and require real American history to be taught in the schools like we once did. Expect people to assimulate (learn English), make all govt documents in English only. Good start. Stop being browbeaten over the mention of God in a public place/by a public official. Sue the ACLU out of existence.

IrishEyes on February 14, 2008 at 10:11 PM

Oh ya,hey Britian one of the Royals made a crack
comment about the United States going into Irag.

Hows that crack about Colonialism working for ya!

canopfor on February 14, 2008 at 10:12 PM

The impact of uncontrolled immigration is important here. The failure of British border controls and asylum policy has led to a huge rise in the number of undocumented aliens, most of them from Muslim nations in the Middle East, Pakistan, and East Africa. The easy availablity of student visas has also allowed illegals to become domiciled. Figures show that since the 1990s, 120000 immigrants, legal and illegal, have been arriving in London alone every year, and are swelling the population by more than a million every 5 years.

Unfortunately, it is the Catholic and Anglican churches who are spearheading a massive amnesty.

Of course, once all these people are in, the pressure for multicultural policies becomes even stronger. It is a vicious circle, and we need to see the UK situtaion as a warning.

Pax americana on February 14, 2008 at 10:16 PM

Oh ya,hey Britian one of the Royals made a crack
comment about the United States going into Irag.

canopfor on February 14, 2008 at 10:12 PM

Yeah, at last count, we haven’t had any of our buses or subways bombed. Thank god and knock on Formica.

Kini on February 14, 2008 at 10:17 PM

I can’t find any more info on the requests for the “useful idiot” to resign. I’ve search all the Anglican and
Episcopal sites I know. I hope the Synod hasn’t given up. Williams is a smart guy intellectually, but the wrong guy for the problems in the Church right now. Imagine a man in his position not knowing that the Shari’a would be a sensitive subject and this is not a good time to bring up pandering to it. One wonders???

jeanie on February 14, 2008 at 10:17 PM

They’re just now figuring this out?

darwin on February 14, 2008 at 10:18 PM

Just think how multicultural we will be if Hillary or Barack is elected?

d1carter on February 14, 2008 at 10:19 PM

next time they want brilliant thought like that, just pay me

I’ll even save trees by not printing more then one page

Defector01 on February 14, 2008 at 10:19 PM

I can’t find any more info on the requests for the “useful idiot” to resign. I’ve search all the Anglican and
Episcopal sites I know. I hope the Synod hasn’t given up.

jeanie on February 14, 2008 at 10:17 PM

I’m afraid it seems as if the Synod did give up: the Episcopalian cowards gave the Archbishop a standing ovation and have closed ranks, blaming the fuss all on the media. You can watch some of these Christian idiots attacking the excellent Times of London religion correspondent here.

Real pressure must come from their Queen, who is still the head of the Church of England. She is apparantly furious at the damage the Archbishop has done. Many African churches are boycotting the Anglican Communion’s decennial conference this year, in protest at this and at the prevalence of homosexuality in the church as well as other things.

There also seems to be anger from Jewish groups, who are already under pressure from the Muslim extremists. Antisemitic attacks in the UK seem to be rising fast. So the Archbishop’s suggestion that Jewish religious courts enjoy some special privilege under the law (they don’t) which the Muslims should have too, has angered many. This excellent piece by Melanie Phillips of the London Spectator is worth reading.

Pax americana on February 14, 2008 at 10:31 PM

Hmmm…

Well, the Queen is still the defender of the Faith…

Maybe give the title a bit of a bite?

Romeo13 on February 14, 2008 at 10:35 PM

Yeah,at last count…

Kini on February 14,2008 at 10:17PM.

Kini: I agree, touch wood.For Britian this didn’t happen
over night,or the last 15 years.I love Britian but
after they were Empireing around the globe,1600′s
1700′s and 1800′s they set this up ever so slowly
in-marrying,just look at English-India as an example!

canopfor on February 14, 2008 at 10:38 PM

Talk about INVITING attack! That is the difference between us (the USA) and them (Europe). While all of this might be accurate enough, it sure does sound defeatist.

Regardless of the reported “lost image” of the US, we have made it clear that “we are not to be fu**ed with”. Frankly the WOT is an attempt to push back the crazies, not for our sakes but theirs. Should their lunacy advance to some horror we can barely imagine, there is no doubt our response would be fierce.

The source of our enemy’s disrespect is that their society is so primitive that we seem like aliens to them. Perhaps one day they will learn the hard lesson of just how HUMAN we are.

Agrippa2k on February 14, 2008 at 10:44 PM

Pax americana on February 14, 2008 at 10:31 PM

Melanie Phillips is someone I have read for years. She is my hero. She is so outspoken in the UK, I fear for her safety.

d1carter on February 14, 2008 at 10:46 PM

As one of the resident Anglophiles I have just one thing to say, then I’ll step back and take my pummeling…..the British people are not about to go quietly. Yeah the laws suck, and the nanny state socialism is a disgrace, but when the pushing starts don’t expect the Englanders I know to close their doors and cover their eyes.

Pummel away………

Limerick on February 14, 2008 at 10:58 PM

Melanie Phillips is someone I have read for years. She is my hero. She is so outspoken in the UK, I fear for her safety.

d1carter on February 14, 2008 at 10:46 PM

Absolutely. She is intelligent and fearless in standing up against the creeping islamisation of British society. I fear for her safety too – antisemitism seems to be rising fast in the UK, fuelled by the islamists and so-called ‘liberal’ papers like the Guardian and Independent pushing Hezbollah/Hamas propaganda.

No, I’m sure the Brits won’t give up without a fight, even if their Episcopal church is full of dhimmis.
Some other excellent blogs on religion in Britain I like:
Damian Thompson in the Telegraph
Ruth Gledhill of the London Times

Pax americana on February 14, 2008 at 11:06 PM

Limerick on February 14, 2008 at 10:58 PM
I agree with you and I am a huge fan of the UK, but when does the pushing start? The Archbishop of Canterbury for heaven’s sake!

d1carter on February 14, 2008 at 11:08 PM

The Archbishop of Canterbury for heaven’s sake!

d1carter on February 14, 2008 at 11:08 PM

Dunno what to say other then have you checked the church membership…or questioned someone how much weight the ‘good’ bishop really carries? I’m wed, and bred to the isles. Yeah I’m a natural born American, but my family is
from England (and is still there), and my wife is Irish (and I don’t mean Boston). England is stuffed with Joe Public. They all aren’t Whitehall ninnies. Something will make em snap, and when they snap it ain’t gonna be pretty.

Ahhhhhhhhhh crud….getting Americans to see past fog seems impossible sometimes.

Limerick on February 14, 2008 at 11:20 PM

the useful idiot of Canterbury

Useful idiot indeed. Here’s another take on how it took a buffoon to say the emperor has no clothes:

“Violence is oozing through the cracks of European society like pus out of a broken scab. Just when liberal opinion congratulated itself that Europe had forsaken its violent past, the specter of civil violence has the continent terrified. That is the source of the uproar over a February 7 speech by Archbishop Rowan Williams, predicting the inevitable acceptance of Muslim sharia law in Great Britain. Not since World War II has British opinion been provoked to the present level of outrage…” [!]

Are the dams against common sense finally bursting? If only our buffoons were so brilliant.

Feedie on February 14, 2008 at 11:24 PM

Ahhhhhhhhhh crud….getting Americans to see past fog seems impossible sometimes.

Limerick on February 14, 2008 at 11:20 PM

Heh. I started visiting the UK and Ireland with my family several years ago and we try to go each year. I was in Scotland this past year where we really got a look a UK independents. I pray for its and our cultural survival. Cheers!

d1carter on February 14, 2008 at 11:28 PM

Likewise d1….two pints coming at ya! Nite all.

Limerick on February 14, 2008 at 11:29 PM

Yep, Someday that 2.8% Muslim population going to take over the other 97%.

Marc01 on February 15, 2008 at 12:20 AM

If only they were as passionate about their Island as they are about their soccer…

innominatus on February 15, 2008 at 12:51 AM

“The United Kingdom presents itself as a target, as a fragmenting, post-Christian society, increasingly divided about interpretations of its history, about its national aims, its values and in its political identity,” it states.

They needed a Think Tank to tell them that? This is exactly what is happening in the U.S.

orlandocajun on February 15, 2008 at 6:55 AM

Top British defense think tank: Multiculturalism has made UK a “soft touch” for jihadists

YA THINK?

Britain, is the new France.

Sorry for yelling, but it’s just an inconceivably stupid understatement.

Fraggin idiots.

leanright on February 15, 2008 at 7:48 AM

Multiculturalism.

Diversity.

Words that make me want to spit. This country was never meant to be “diverse” and even the money tells us so.

E pluribus unum.

drjohn on February 15, 2008 at 7:49 AM

…and in other news, the Pope is Catholic. Film at eleven.

rightside on February 15, 2008 at 8:18 AM

There’s one big difference between the UK and the US. They start burning my property there’s going to be some mighty unhappy people laying in the street.

Ernest on February 15, 2008 at 8:42 AM

By contrast those who refuse to integrate into British society have a “firm self-image”.

Bingo.

Buy Danish on February 15, 2008 at 8:45 AM

“The United Kingdom presents itself as a target, as a fragmenting, post-Christian society, increasingly divided about interpretations of its history, about its national aims, its values and in its political identity,” it states.

Oh, the UK.

For a moment I thought they were describing the US.

pseudonominus on February 15, 2008 at 9:32 AM

Multiculturalism has made UK a “soft touch” for jihadists

Uh… well DUH!

Gartrip on February 15, 2008 at 9:48 AM

Marc01 on February 15, 2008 at 12:20 AM

Yep, Someday that 2.8% Muslim population going to take over the other 97%.

No, what’s going to happen is the other 97% will hand themselves over to that 2.8% in the name of multiculturalism.

Kafir on February 15, 2008 at 1:39 PM

Ernest on February 15, 2008 at 8:42 AM

You and me both, buddy. You and me both.

Kafir on February 15, 2008 at 1:42 PM