A Warning for the West
Lance Newbold, A reviewer, 08/14/2006

A fabulous yet frightening read of how the West is surrendering to radical Islam. As an American who lived for 3 years in England, I watched how the British government catered to the every whim of Islamic fundamentalism. As Europe caves in the fight against Muslim terror, America must overcome our own desire for political correctness and stand up for Western values.

Useful account of misguided toleration of terrorism
Will Podmore, A reviewer, 08/04/2006

The government still tolerates the organising, recruiting, training and funding of Islamist terrorists in Britain: London is even now the main centre in Europe for these activities. In 1994, MI5 disbanded its unit for monitoring Islamist terrorism. Terrorists can move freely in and out of the country because we have hardly any immigration controls. This stems from the government’s embrace of capital’s key demand for free movement of capital and labour. Religion is part of the terrorism problem. The fascists who carried out the 7/7 bomb attacks on London were adherents of Islam. Sir Iqbal Sacranie, the secretary general of the Muslim Council of Britain, absurdly said, “The real victim of these bombings is the Muslim community of the UK.” Not all those who were killed then! We in Britain achieved our secular society, not by tolerating religious bigots of all factions but by defeating them. The weakness of Phillips’ book lies in her support for empire, old and new. She writes of ‘the collapse of the British Empire and therefore of national purpose’. This preposterous misidentification of empire with nation makes it easy for the left to reject everything Phillips writes. She backs Bush and Blair’s claim that they are fighting a war against terror. She sees the USA and Israel as victims – a mirror-image of the ‘victim culture’ she rightly deplores. She backs the attacks on Afghanistan and Iraq, ludicrously calling the attack on Iraq ‘a defence against Muslim aggression’. Left and right each have half a truth – it is right to condemn fighter-bombers that kill innocent people, and also right to condemn suicide bombers who kill innocent people. But left and right connive in terrorism by opposing only the other fellow’s terrorism – it is wrong to support suicide bombers who kill innocent people, and also wrong to support fighter-bombers that kill innocent people. State and non-state terrorism are the same in intent and result, trying to rule by force, killing innocent people. How difficult is it to say, a plague on both your houses? The only honest policy is to oppose terrorism whoever does it, whether left or right, suicide bombers or capitalist states.

Also recommended: State terrorism, by Alexander George. Rogue state, by William Blum.

A Must Read
A reviewer, A reviewer, 05/21/2006

Melanie Phillips provides a detailed study of the rise of an often dangerous counterculture in the United Kingdom. The information she provides in Londonistan should be heeded by policymakers and citizens of the United States. The book reads like a reality adventure novel.

Also recommended: While Europe Slept