On the subject of extremism

Now that the so called Jihadi John has been unmasked, it raises some interesting questions:

Firstly, why did his family not alert the authorities that the person in those sickening videos could be him?

Secondly, why do the family of the gentleman in question bear no responsibility for their offspring? From the moment immigrants are given the right to remain indefinitely in this country they need to ditch everything and integrate. When in Rome, do as the Romans do. I have met former refugees who have been housed and educated by the State and yet show disdain for Britain. They feel as if they don't belong and will never gain acceptance, well, guess what, respect is earned.

Thirdly, while multiculturalism is all well and good, anyone who is not proud of being British and swearing allegiance to the Queen should really just hit the road and go back to where they came from.

Fourthly, it is reprehensible to blame the security services for radicalising potential terrorists. The security services do a fantastic job and to blame them is grotesque. Adult make their own choices in life and clearly if that choice is to kill others then they will find a means to do it anyway.

This terrible mess that has become the world of Muslim extremist versus everyone else is without precedent. We are living in horrible times where our politicians are looking at the disarray and do not know where to begin. I was on the Tube in London yesterday and a Jewish family standing in the carriage looked as if the train couldn't go fast enough. Seeing their discomfort made me feel miserable. In the same carriage was a young woman wearing lipstick, heavy makeup and that scarf on her head- choose one or the other, please, and understand your faith properly. Much of the conflict in the minds of these extremists is utter ignorance- they do not comprehend the tenets of their own religion and have not even read their holy texts. One can interpret the word of sages in many different ways but religious understanding is based on the universal principle in all faiths- love towards fellow human beings. For the record, no religion condones killing or violence- that is a convenient interpretation of ignorant minds.

What is the solution? There are those who seem to think that political intervention through bombing or otherwise is the solution. I have lived for over five decades where nothing has really improved - wars never seem to end. Perhaps the solution is to bring back national service and ensure that a pride in the British identity is mandatory for everyone regardless of creed or race.

 Photo copyright SvD.