London - Terror Crossroads?

July 9, 2005 2:26 PM

London - Terror Crossroads? Long before bombings ripped through London on Thursday, Britain had become a breeding ground for hate, fed by a militant version of Islam.
posted by dsquid (12 comments total)

Somewhat interesting article, with some good details (public assistance from "hell", ironic and sick!)

However, I am really getting sick of the phrases "breeding ground" and "ideology of hate". I don't know why, it's just become cliche.

They didn't mention this guy, who some speculate was involved in both Madrid and London. There's no proof he was involved in either, but he holds Spanish citizenship and lived in North London for some time in the 90's. More info/speculation here.
posted by cell divide at 2:54 PM on July 9, 2005

That's two terrorism links in two days, squidly. I do hope against all hopes that you're not about to become yet another tiresome MeFi one-track-mind political agitator. We need another of them like we need a hole in our collective heads.
posted by five fresh fish at 3:05 PM on July 9, 2005

Well, five fresh fish, I for one look forward to the collective trepination of MeFi.
posted by teece at 3:14 PM on July 9, 2005

Well, the good news is that Judy Miller is still in jail (for the wrong thing, but jail nevertheless.) This article is remarkable for it's cluelessness about how Al Qaida cells are recruited and activated: it's very much a franchise operation.
posted by warbaby at 4:20 PM on July 9, 2005

Interesting companion piece from Saturday's NYTimes: Despite Terror, Europeans Seem Determined to Maintain Civil Liberties.
posted by mediareport at 4:35 PM on July 9, 2005

fivefreshfish: I'll be posting on a wide variety of topics, although I reserve the right to go through phases of dogged one-track-mindedness. I posted this one precisely because it was similar in nature to the previous one, and in my opinion filled in a few gaps.

For your part, thank you for being the content conscience of Mefi. I never tire of people telling me what they hope I will post.
posted by dsquid at 8:24 PM on July 9, 2005

Just sayin', is all. We've had a few folk who rode a hobby horse on the front page and MeFi didn't take well to them over the long term. If you're looking for abuse, ride your hobby horse; if you're looking to damage MeFi, ride your hobby horse. If you're looking to become a valued community member, you might want to avoid equestrian events.
posted by five fresh fish at 9:58 PM on July 9, 2005

cell divide, Mustafa Setmarian Nasar is pictured in the NYT article, and discussed on its third page.

I must say, for a native Syrian, he looks remarkably Northern European. My first thought on seeing his photo was that he was a British convert, like Reid, or perhaps a Bosnian. I wonder what his background is -- of course Syria has plenty of Crusader bloodlines, but even the most Maronite Christian in those parts tends to have olive skin and dark hair. His face just screams Scottish to me, somehow. I'm guessing he's only one or two generations removed from a European, even Anglo, ancestor.

dsquid, the expression may have been tart, but it's good advice.
posted by dhartung at 10:19 PM on July 9, 2005

dsquid I won't pile on the posting history bus, but I must say that the wording in this FPP, unless it's a quote, is provocative editorialship IMHO. Don't worry, it's not just you I know. It would be nice, especially when we deal with the most evocative areas of life, if there were dispassionate wording choice in FPPs. But I still want to believe in Santa, however.
And no, I didn't even read the linked article. No need to, as by your wording it's all a fait accompli.
posted by peacay at 2:15 AM on July 11, 2005

peacay: The wording of the post is quoted verbatim from the story itself.
posted by dsquid at 4:55 AM on July 11, 2005

And no, I didn't even read the linked article. No need to, as by your wording it's all a fait accompli.

Peacay, your perception spared you. I had to give it a go. Right at the start at "become a breeding ground for hate" I started getting mild irritation in my stomach, by "magnet for fiery preachers" and "crossroads for would-be terrorists" I was having gastric reflux, and when I got to "its deep tradition of civil liberties and protection of political activists have made the country a haven for terrorists" I just had to stop before running into some 'Londonistan' reference.
Thinly-veiled typical right-wing tabloid stuff. It's wall to wall terrorists everywhere! The cities are crawling with them! Let's scrap those civil liberties now! Round up this enemy in our midst and lock them in internment camps!
posted by funambulist at 5:24 AM on July 11, 2005

Thanks for the summary funambulist.
dsquid, perhaps you should use inverted commas or italics so the brush of tabloidism doesn't tar you too. But for all intents and for a number of reasons I somehow think this wasn't the choicest link for an FPP.
posted by peacay at 9:13 AM on July 11, 2005