Muslims in Britain furious over Israeli attacks: minister: Dawn

By M. Ziauddin
LONDON, Jan 12: The Israeli onslaught in Gaza is having a “profoundly acute and unhealthy” effect on British Muslim communities and “patience is running out”, Justice Minister Shahid Malik, himself of Pakistani origin, has said.He told the Guardian on Monday there was “immense anger” in British Muslim communities over developments in the Middle East.

“There is a real feeling of helplessness, hopelessness and powerlessness among Britain’s Muslims in the context of Gaza and the sense of grievance and injustice is both profoundly acute and obviously profoundly unhealthy.”The comments by Mr Malik, the first Muslim to be made a minister in any British government, were echoed by the Conservative shadow security minister, Pauline Neville-Jones, who said she was concerned at the effect the conflict was having on radicalism in the wider Arab world.

Mr Malik expressed alarm that the vast majority of British Muslims were drawing no distinction between current UK government policy and that held by Tony Blair when he failed to condemn immediately an invasion of Lebanon by Israel in 2006.Describing meetings he had held with Muslim communities in the past few days, Mr Malik said: “I was extremely concerned that many British Muslims had failed to distinguish between the UK’s current response and the response in 2006 during the Lebanon crisis. People have become so disillusioned that they almost appear to have stopped listening to politicians.”

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