Londonistan is a sobriquet referring to the British capital of London and the growing Muslim population of late 20th and early 21st century London.
Contents
- Origin of the term
- Late 1980s onwards
- Following 11 September 2001
- Usage in the Arabic press
- Reversal
- References
The word is a portmanteau of the British capital and the Persian suffix -stan, meaning "land" (used by several countries in South and Central Asia). The term has been used in a number of publications, including The New York Times, Vanity Fair, The Weekly Standard, and in the 2006 book Londonistan: How Britain is Creating a Terror State Within.
Origin of the term
According to Omar Nasiri
The mid- to late 1990s were the years when Britain's capital earned the sobriquet of "Londonistan," a title provided by French officials infuriated at the growing presence of Islamist radicals in London and the failure of British authorities to do anything about it. [...] Raids in France and Belgium had produced phone and fax numbers linked to the United Kingdom, and names of suspects were passed on. Some French officials believe that if more had been done by Britain at the time, the network behind the summer of 1995 bombings might have been broken up and the attacks prevented.
The bombings and attempted bombings, mostly in Paris, in summer and autumn of 1995 by Armed Islamic Group (GIA), killed eight and injured more than 100. The French observed that a number of Muslim radicals from London had connections to these bombings. Around that year, in 1995, the French intelligence had coined the term "Londonistan" for the city of London.
The perception of "Londonistan" is powered by the strong foothold of Islamic radical fundamentalism in the region. It is believed that the "Londonistan" environment radicalizes British Muslim youth (involving the strife in identity politics, such as the perception of racism and decadence in British culture) and that it is ineffective in combating the Islamic radical entities.
According to critics, Britain's "deep tradition of civil liberties and protection of political activists" led to the country becoming "a crossroads for would-be terrorists" for a decade after the mid 1990s. The Islamists used London "as a home base" to "raise money, recruit members and draw inspiration from the militant messages." The British government's perceived unwillingness to prosecute or extradite terrorist suspects provoked tensions with countries in which attacks occurred. Allegations of a British policy of appeasement of Islamists were made and denied by members of the British government who debated the issue.
Late 1980s onwards
The presence of active Islamists in London began to cause tensions with Middle Eastern, European, Pakistani and the American governments, who view many of these groups as terrorists.
Foreign governments were particularly angered when the head of Al-Muhajiroun, Omar Bakri Muhammad, claimed he lived in the UK under a "covenant of security", whereby he was left alone by the authorities so long as he did not sanction attacks on British soil. The British government denied the claim. Some suspects of the 1995 attacks on Paris have fled to the United Kingdom; Rachid Ramda was eventually put into French custody on the 1 December 2005, after ten years of permanent request by French judges. Following the 7 July 2005 London bombings, articles in The New York Times and Le Figaro claimed that London had become something of a safe haven for terrorists.
Following 11 September 2001
The activities of London-based Islamists came under greater scrutiny after the September 11 attacks, which brought home the vulnerability of Western countries to large-scale terror attacks. The Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001 allowed foreign terrorist suspects to be detained indefinitely without charge. In 2004, the Law Lords ruled that this violated European law, but it was replaced by the system of control orders in the Prevention of Terrorism Act 2005, which provided the Government with powers to place various restrictions on suspected terrorists. The 2005 Act was subsequently replaced by the Terrorism Prevention and Investigation Measures Act 2011. Many Islamists may have left the UK to avoid internment,. Other ones, such as Ali Salman, returned to their home countries after domestic political reforms.
According to The New York Times, there were "seven or eight major plots" to attack civilian targets in Britain disrupted by police or intelligence officials.
Usage in the Arabic press
Reversal
With the election of Sadiq Khan as Mayor of London, Richard Seymour wrote an essay in Al Jazeera headlined "Sadiq Khan's victory and free Londonistan", claiming that the term Londonistan was being "joyfully, ironically appropriated by those who are glad to see a racist campaign defeated. Welcome to the 21st century. Welcome to free Londonistan."