October 23, 2006

OUT OF IDEAS

John Reid has issued a dire warning that the Government risks losing the "battle of ideas" with al-Qa'eda...

...He called for an urgent but controversial escalation in the propaganda war and said al-Qa'eda's so-called "single extremist narrative" was proving ever more attractive to young British Muslims...

...Ministers have told The Sunday Telegraph that 30 terror plots are being investigated and that 1,500 young Muslims
— many more than previously estimated — are suspects.

A key government weapon in the struggle to win hearts and minds is the decision to fund covertly an Islamic website appealing for moderation. A classic of New Labour terminology, it is called the Radical Middle Way. Government documents disclose that the site is "run as a grassroots initiative by Muslim organisations". However, it has "most of its financial backing from the Foreign Office and Home Office". The site uses video and podcasts to spread an "alternative message" to young Muslims. Some content is available through the iTunes website with no indication that it is effectively an arm of Government....

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