Radicilisation in Britain: The Problem

With the proverbial unmasking of “Jihadi John” – now being reported as Mohammed Emwazi, together with the disappearance of three young girls from England to Syria, England, the UK and the world in general continues to become more and more at risk of radicalisation.

The advancement of ISIL would have been near-impossible without the influx of foreign fighters into Syria and Iraq. It has been estimated that 30,000 foreigners have travelled to the war-torn areas to join the so-called caliphate. A few days ago, three schoolgirls based in England fled to Syria. For the families it is horrible, yet you would have to question the motive for anyone who is radicalised. First, to leave a successful life in England for a war-ravaged area would be near unheard of, this suggests that anyone who has done this is leaving little behind. While you could also suggest that there is always a choice in terms of choosing the radical ways of ISIL or staying with Western Values – this suggests people that are radicalised are weak.

As if three schoolgirls fleeing the country wasn’t bad enough, it has been reported that “Jihadi John” is the pseudonym for a man named Mohammed Emwazi. Emwazi was born in Kuwait, though spent many years in the UK, even graduating from the University of Westminster with a degree. It is such a shame, what could have been a highly successful life has turned into a horrible one, with the blood of so many innocent people on his shoulders. Though the real issue is how he became radicalised.

It could be argued that more needs to be done to help people that feel withdrawn from society. The more withdrawn they are, the more likely they are to be swayed by radical messages. However a bridge to that stage would be to shut down public speaking’s from known Jihadists. Incredibly, the University of Westminster were due a talk the very same day as the unmasking of Emwazi from an infamous Islamic preacher. Some would suggest you are just asking for trouble with events like this being held.

Overall, the fact is that radicalisation is not going to stop anytime soon. It is a shame, as in some instances people leave good lives behind to go and fight against freedom. What has happened to Emwazi is a shame, there have been many before him and many after him. Britain and the rest of the world needs to do something to stop radicalization, or things will only get worse.

/MF/
(‘042’)

Alice Goss: A case where Britain fails To Protect the Public

Something that has received mass media coverage in the UK in recent days is an alleged abduction of Alice Goss – a 14-year old girl. In any case when a child goes missing it means that there is worry – with parents not knowing where to turn, and the public desperate to help in any way to find the child. This is the biggest police operation in the UK since the 7/7 bombings, a lot of manpower is being put in to this case – yet the case doesn’t appear like it will be solved any time soon.

The issue lies with the man that the Police consider to have abducted Alice. The man is called Arnis Zalkalns. He is aged 41 and from Latvia. While in Latvia, he stabbed his wife to death and buried her body in the forest. He was sentenced to seven years in prison, within months of being let out, he moved to Britain. Within EU laws, this is perfectly normal. But just because it is normal, it doesn’t make it acceptable.

The Police have enough man power to deal with people like Zalkalns. When I say deal I mean that the Police must have been aware of the fact a killer was coming to the country and that there was a need to keep watch on him and protect those around him. But he obviously wasn’t, now that he is the prime suspect in the case, it makes you fear for the safety of Alice. Especially how the bag she was carrying has been found. Sadly, the chances of her turning up alive and well are slim at best.

This is nowhere near the first time that this has happened. Take the case of Daniel Pelka. This was a small child in Coventry who was beaten to death by his Step-Dad and Mother, enduring horrific abuse in the months leading to his death. The Council are without doubt to blame, as they had many opportunities to save him. However the issue is that the Step-Dad had a criminal conviction prior to coming to the UK. He applied to go to the United States of America, however was turned away by them due to his conviction. Just by doing this, the USA had saved one of their citizens from a similar death. This policy that the US have is the ideal way to defend their citizens.

The UK were unable to do anything in either of the two cases. It is to be remembered as well that these are two of thousands of cases. There are obviously rules that Britain has to abide by due to being part of the European Union, but how many more victims, how many more deaths are there going to be before something is done. It remains to be seen, however something really should be done soon. In the mean time, hopefully Alice will turn up fine, while hopefully her parents will be able to deal successfully with the inevitable pain that is going to come at the end of this case.

/MF/
(‘017’)