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How Britain blew its chance with the Muslim world
Rageh Omaar21.05.09
In March, just before President Obama's visit to London, the US embassy called my office at the Al Jazeera English bureau in London.
Given the nature of our relationship with the Bush administration, I was half expecting a complaint. What followed was a huge and pleasant surprise: an invitation for Al Jazeera English to screen a documentary I presented on Islam In America at the embassy.
It was a small reminder of America's remarkable ability to renew itself and how it is seen in the world.
If there's anything that Barack Obama's presidency represents for Muslims - whether living in western societies or in predominantly Muslim countries - it's the chance to rewrite the story of America and the Muslim world after the nadir of the past eight years.
President Obama's election was an incredible, Houdini-like act by America, freeing it overnight from the hostility of the Bush years.
It should have been a Houdini act for the UK, too. Obama's election was also a huge opportunity for the UK to remake itself in the eyes of the Muslim world. But it's a chance that has thus far been completely blown by the Government.
No other country is as implicated in the most glaring schisms between the West and the Muslim world precipitated by George W Bush as the UK.
New Labour under Tony Blair was either co-architect or leading supporter of Iraq, Afghanistan, Guantanamo and extraordinary rendition. In other key areas, most notably Gaza and the collapse of the Middle East peace process, it failed to use its supposed leverage with the Bush administration.
Initially the Blair government spun the line that 7/7 and other home-grown terrorism plots had nothing to do with UK foreign policy, but few in the intelligence and security services believed it, and no one in government would today peddle that line.
Gordon Brown struck a very different note in his first months as Prime Minister. He said that in the past the Government had not done enough to win the war for "hearts and minds" in the Muslim world.
David Miliband was made Foreign Secretary. His first trip was to Pakistan and Afghanistan, where he said what Obama would say during his campaign a year later: that the real focus in the war on terror was Afghanistan and not Iraq.
Throughout the last half of 2007, the UK prepared to withdraw from Iraq, boost its military commitment to Afghanistan and start to fight what Ed Balls described as the "culture war" instead of the military war in the Muslim world.
Britain was perfectly placed to benefit from the West's renewed engagement with the Islamic world led by Obama.
We had a strong hand - but we failed to play it decisively. The first and most obvious thing would have been for the Prime Minister or Foreign Secretary to make a speech in a Muslim country, speaking of the need for a new start, with shared interests.
In terms of substance, we had a golden opportunity to take a lead on Pakistan, a country with which we have very close links - and from which we have faced several militant threats.
While the Obama administration has appointed the formidable Ambassador Richard Holbrooke as an envoy to both Afghanistan and Pakistan, there is no British equivalent capable of dealing with the Taliban in both countries as a whole.
As for the Middle East peace process, while Obama calls for a halt to Israeli settlement building, there is virtual silence from British ministers.
The worst part is knowing what a difference it could have made to Britain's interests. This is about a lot more than improving our image in the Muslim world.
It's about our security as well, and limiting the opportunity that British-born jihadists have in using Muslim disaffection at British foreign policy as a primary tool for radicalising young Britons.
In a few weeks Obama will travel to Egypt and make a long-awaited speech to the Muslim world, where he will echo his inauguration speech, where he said that he wanted a new relationship with the Muslim world based on shared interests, tolerance and, yes, friendship.
After all that has happened under Bush, this is easier said than done. But the will and impetus is there. His speech in Cairo will be shown on TV, written about in newspapers and replayed on the radio from Casablanca to Calcutta, from Dar es Salaam to Dubai. It will benefit America hugely.
Britain, which stood shoulder to shoulder with America through the worst chapters of its recent relations with the Muslim world, will not be mentioned. It's like taking the blame with the main villain, only to see him rehabilitated while we're still associated with the original crime.
The most unforgivable part of this failure to seize on the "Obama effect" is in how it lets down British soldiers.
The greatest sin of politicians is to squander the opportunities made possible by the sacrifice of those who die in conflict. British troops were posted to Afghanistan in a mission which the then Defence Secretary, John Reid, said would be carried out probably without the need "to fire a single shot".
No other Nato member has made the same commitment to the war in Afghanistan as Britain, and no country has paid as high a price. Yet our reputation in the Muslim world remains as it was before Obama's election.
It's hard to escape the conclusion that the sacrifices of British soldiers have been largely squandered.
Gordon Brown has been far too concerned with his plummeting domestic fortunes to concentrate on foreign policy. Thus the Government has failed to reinvent itself and Britain's image abroad.
New Labour has not been alone in this. More than any other party, the Conservatives have a burning desire to rid themselves of the stigma of having voted in favour of the invasion of Iraq.
Yet there has been almost no sign of any desire on their part to seize on Obama's initiatives in the Muslim world.
We have left it far, far too late in the day but we must and should stand shoulder to shoulder with Obama as he faces the Muslim world afresh with the same intensity that we stood shoulder to shoulder with Bush.
My head tells me it's too late; my heart hopes that it is not.
Rageh Omaar is a presenter on Al Jazeera English (Sky Channel 514)
Reader views (20)
Srop the continual subservience to the muslim world,Islam is a danger to the civilisarion and its adherents within this country are enemies of the state and should be dealt with accordingly
- Brian, Barry Wales
The extremists are just that and will not blink when it comes to killing 'infidels' i.e. anyone who disagrees with them, which just happens to coincide with what god wants, strangely enough.
Muslim extremists? Kill them all, end of problem.And no apologies for who we are. Sorry, is that a little extreme? Exactly!
- Hereward, Copenhagen, Denmark
Rageh Omar needs to ask the question what is the Muslim world looking to do to improve its standing in Britain and the West.
It literally blew its chance on 9/11 and 7/7.
- Ab, Romsey UK
First of all Rageh Omaar we are proud of your sincere aim to appeal to the common sense of humanity. However, as you said despite the US 360 shift to normality initiated by Barack Obama, Britain finds it mathematically sophisticated to add their way through the expenses scandel let alone the trignometry associated with their foiled foreign policy disaster. In reality it doesn't involve maths at all, but rather relates to the basic values we should be instilled in us at our nursery years. Basically, wrong has been done by the west whilest trying to correct the Muslim World. We the British should rigorously criticise our governments inform them to do right to achieve right and nothing else. This we should do on behalf of many Muslims living in the Muslim World under brutal dictators.
Thanks Rageh for this honest article.
May your recently deceased father be bestowed with paradise.
Peace be onto you.
- Abdirahim Aden, Birmingham, England
Possibly. It's a bit grandiose to think that a statement from Gordon Brown would have been regarded in anything like the same way as words from Barack Obama.
- Ln, London, UK
Alan Rex,
I am so glad there are people holding your views in Britain. The sheer ignorance of UK's foreign policy is astounding!! Sometimes it almost feels that one lives amongst consumers and not citizens.
- Farid Gassanly, London England
Who cares. Nuke the lot of them.
- Alan Preen, McLean, Texas, USA.
Offers of aid and appeasement are seen as signs of weakness. Self-defence and the protection of the weak is seen as provocation, and taking offence is just another tool used in the war against Western culture. There is no place in our society for a medieval mind-set based on hatred and domination.
- Mark, Drayton
What depresses me most is that we have to worry about religious differences all. How long will it be before people realise that all religions are just stories made up by men years ago in order to control people.
- Tim, Hong Kong
Well, perhaps if certain elements within the UK Muslim community were not agitating for; their own legal system, their own banking system, strictly controlled dress codes, the right to refuse to handle pork or take guide dogs in taxis, refuse women, homosexuals and non Muslims to take any effective part in their public or social life, ban otherwise normal expressions of public life such as cartoons and films, imposing fatwas on authors, etc, etc, etc (shall I go on?) then Muslims in the UK will "improve their image" and in turn make it easier for the UK Govt to openly engage with the rest of the Muslim world in terms of public approval for such actions. Oops - did I forget to mention the successful muslim terrorism attacks in 2007 and the myriad of failed ones? The British Government's "image problem?" - don't make me laugh.
- Jeff, Ex Londoner now in Australia
I am flabergasted to reasd <i>Britain, which stood shoulder to shoulder with America through the worst chapters of its recent relations with the Muslim world... It's like taking the blame with the main villain, only to see him rehabilitated while we're still associated with the original crime.</i>
My memory is that radical Islam has heaped vsat numbers of dastardly acts on the US and Britain, including in Aden, the Iran hostage crisis, the bombings of dozens of institutions friendly to the West, the continued fomenting of Palestinian anger toward Israel, and 9/11. Bush was the recipient of these acts, not the instigator.
If Islam wants peace with the world, all it has to do to achieve this objective is to be peaceful.
- Careful Observer, Iowa. USA
Brown opened the UK borders so millions have entered unchecked, including thousands of terrorists. Now the UK has over 300 active terror plots. All due to Brown and Labour multicultural cowardice. At the same time Brown send the UK into two illegal wars. Then he allows 80% of UK muslim schools to teach extreme Deobandi islam encouraging hatred for UK and West and the use of violent jihad to conquer the UK.
After that Brown boasts (McBride style) that Labour is tough on terror. The reverse is the truth. In fact Labour imported all the terrorists, and encouraged them to be terrorists. The stupididy and arrogance of Labour is beyond parody.
- Abdul, Bethnal Green uk
abdul I agree 100% but I think the answer to your question would depend on who answers it. Labour would say to enhance the country and multiculturalism. A liberal might say because it is their right due to colonisation etc. A tory for economic reasons. UKIP, for the wrong reasons whatever they are. BNP to take over or blow us up. I think all apply just depends on the individual migrant. Fortunately the last are the minority just like BNP.
- Douglas, London Uk
The so called moderates need to start taking responsibility for their religion and community in host Christian countries.
I would respect Islam a bit more if these people spoke out against extremism rather than the current perceived quite of approval. As for giving them a hard time, the very opposite is happening under this pandering government.
- Frank, Home Counties, England.
Rageh isn't suggesting that we appease extremists, merely that we assist the Muslim world with the very necessary job of isolating extremists by not giving moderates a good excuse to hate us - something we specialise in at the moment.
- Michael, london
We should focus first on standing up for our own values, of free speech, equality of the sexes, freedom of religion and democratic government.
Free speech means allowing people to say what we disagree with, whether this is from a pro-islmaist imman or an anti-islamist Dutch MP or American shock jock.
Support for equality of the sexes, freedom of religion and democracy means not appeasing regimes which flout these. Many islamic countries score badly in these areas, but its not an exclusively islamic problem.
And we should be wary of cosying up too much with Pakistan. It is democratic, tolerant, multicultural India we should be forging closer alliances with.
- Nigel, London
There has been no desire to seize on Obama's initiatives because the UK, Europe and their respective peoples know better, having experienced first hand the detrimental and dangerous effects appeasing the Muslim population has for everyone else.
- Mike, Kent UK
you forget that one cardinal rule. Extremists will be at war with ANYONE who does not share their views. Period!
Unless you veil up the women, get them out of schools, out of cars, off the voter's roll, you are their enemy. and they will do their utmostto kill you, preferably brutally. Simple as that. And if you accomodate them, like you suggest may have been a safer course of action by being gentle in your so called "reinvention", you will not placate them. Ask Pakistan right now. Your argument is rubbish. If your British, accomdating, brutal, it's not really relevant.
- Maurits, London, UK
Good article, but unfortunately the UK with its huge links to its colonial past will squander this opportunity to build friendships in the face of the right wing media and pro-isreali bias in the political and media space even though they are detrimental to our interests. We should be pushing the EU to launch complete trade sanctions against Israel and supporting the Pakistani and Afghanistan governments through training(rather than having troops in the latter country) and so on. However, the pro-Israel Lobby appears to be far too strong for UK interests to prevail.
Abdul, obviously you dont understand. If they 'all' wanted to come here they wouldnt be attacking us. And I very much doubt it is '000's on a daily basis' - exxagerating a story does not make it valid. Appeasement is the word we should be using for our policy towards Isreal, not to the world we are seen to be attacking.
- Alan Rex, London, UK
Why should the UK remake itself in the eyes of the Muslim world?
I don’t think going down the appeasement route is a good idea. Anyway there are thousands of Afghans, Iraqis and Pakistanis trying the get in to Britain on a daily basis. If they hate us so much then why do they all want to come here?
Ex-Muslim
- Abdul, London
