Khurram’s ancestry nothing to do with terror, says UK’s first Muslim minister

LONDON: The UK’s first Muslim Minister Shahid Malik on Monday stated that though one of the terrorist attackers in London was of Pakistani origin, his ancestry had nothing to do with his evil acts.

Shahid Malik, who served as justice minister, interior minister, international development minister and local government minister under the administrations of prime ministers Gordon Brown and Tony Blair said: “It’s too easy to blame other countries but the fact that Khurram Butt’s family originate from Pakistan is irrelevant to the grotesque and barbaric attacks he carried out in London on innocent peace-loving citizens. For far too long in the UK we have often looked abroad to ascribe some kind of blame for the terrorist atrocities we have had to endure but sadly the truth is much closer to home. The stark reality is that our challenges stem from and exist within our own country, among our own people, aided by modern technology.”

He continued: “In this age of instant global communications and the internet we know that often the grooming and the brainwashing of individuals is carried out online, and it is the big global technology companies who have to accept a degree of responsibility for allowing their platforms to be exploited to unleash terror in communities, regions, and countries around the world. In the case of Pakistan, the facts speak for themselves; very few countries have made the sacrifices and suffered the loss of life that tragically Pakistan has experienced. Pakistan’s fight against extremism and terrorism has led to a huge toll with thousand of Pakistan’s citizens, armed forces, security personnel and police being martyred and paying the ultimate price.”

He warned against linking terrorism and religion and challenged Muslims to do even more: “We must always remember that evil exists in all walks of life – when Timothy McVeigh butchered 168 American citizens in Oklahoma he didn’t represent Christianity in the same way that these vile creatures who have killed in Manchester and London don’t represent Islam. They both represent evil and evil has no religion. We must be clear, these terrorists are not martyrs going to heaven but sinners going to hell and their actions are profoundly un-Islamic.”

Malik also praised British Muslims and mosques, many of whom he said had reported some of the terrorists to the security services previously: “It is worth noting that many individual British Muslims and indeed mosques reported some of the terrorists in their own neighbourhoods to the police over the years and by doing so they showed the true face of Islam a face of which we can all be proud.”  

Mr Malik also called for Muslim unity and resolve in the fight against extremism: “Today Muslims across the world must unite in sending a strong message not just by condemning extremism and terrorism but confronting it wherever it rears its evil head, whether that is in our homes, in our shops, our workplaces, our colleges, online or in our mosques. Muslims are not responsible for the actions of these wicked individuals but we all have a responsibility to redouble our efforts not only to save innocent and precious human lives but rescue our religion from the clutches of twisted individuals who follow a truly perverted interpretation of our beautiful faith, Islam.”