'New anti-terrorism laws will help to protect Muslims', claims Jacqui Smith

Jacqui Smith was today facing a fresh row over her anti-terrorism plans after claiming that new laws will help to protect Muslims.


In a speech in London, the Home Secretary said the biggest threat to Muslims would come from a backlash that would follow a successful terrorist attack - rather than an extension of pre-charge detention to 42 days or other new legislation.

The claim came as she announced an extra 300 police officers to work on preventing radicalisation as she warned it was not possible to "arrest our way" out of the terrorist threat.

Ms Smith said terrorism was a "serious and growing threat" in this country and there had been successes in the important work of arrests and convictions.

But she warned on BBC Breakfast: "In the end we can't arrest our way out of the terrorist threat.

"We need to prevent people from becoming terrorists and supporting terrorists in the first place.

"That means challenging the sort of ideology that supports terrorism, it means working in our communities to make sure that those mainstream voices are stronger, it means identifying people who might be at risk of being drawn into terrorism and violent extremism."

Ms Smith said police officers could help with this sort of preventive work, in partnership with other groups.

"That is why we are investing in police officers to pursue and to disrupt terrorist plots but also to prevent people turning to terrorism in the first place," she said.

Comment:

Another initiative which misses the target and causes of radicalisation completely. Every single Muslim is angry with western foreign policy in relation to Islam and Muslim lands, but we channel our anger and frustrations via legitamate Islamic dawah work.

It is only a very small minority who wish to reciprocate and retaliate against the west via certain actions. So the solution is very simple, stop interfering in Islamic lands and stop the killings of Muslims worldwide and you will see a change in attitude regarding Britain, and the terror threat will be reduced overnight.