Forest Gate Misadventure

FOREST GATE, The IPCC and the Muslim community

On Tuesday 13th February 2007 the long awaited Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) report into the Forest Gate incident of 2006 was finally released. Although given much media fanfare the report fails to address the key issues which the Muslim Community not only in Forest Gate but throughout the UK want answered. In short the IPCC report found that the Metropolitan Police had a failing of intelligence, that there needs to be better conditions for suspects being held at Paddington Green for longer periods, that the Police must wear better markings to identify them as Police and that there must be a direct apology to the Families involved in the Forest Gate raids.The fact that the police briefed the media about certain aspects of the investigation such as the presence of a "bomb factory" in Forest Gate, the plan create a "Chemical Suicide Vest" and a "Plot to attack fans watching the World Cup" has been conveniently ignored by the IPCC.

Also ignored is the wider political agenda under which these raids took place; an agenda which is making the Muslim community the scapegoat to hide foreign policy failings in Iraq and Afghanistan . What better way to hide the failings of an illegal war then to create a demonic monster on your very own door stop; the monster being the Muslim Community.

We as a community mustn't see incidents such as Forest Gate in isolation but must understand the wider context of these failed terror raids and failed intelligence. There is a deliberate and systematic attempt to create a sense of fear amongst the Muslim Community where one Muslim will suspect the other of being a terrorist, where as John Reid requested, Father spies on Son and Son spies on Father, where the growing of a beard is seen as a sign of impending radicalisation in our Youth.

The following points are worth considering:

• The Muslim community as all other communities in the UK want to live in peace and security


• Muslims have on numerous occasions condemned acts of terrorism in the UK and abroad as having nothing to do with Islam. Both Media and government have ignored this and continue to play the scaremongering and blame game.


• Despite what has happened and a recommendation from the IPCC for a direct apology to the family involved in the Forest Gate incident, the Metropolitan Police have failed to do this for over 8 months.This speaks volumes for the government calls for integration when it is clear the Muslim community are not even given the dignity of an apology for being beaten, falsely accused and even shot.


• The governments 'latest adventure' of plowing £5 Million into Muslim areas across the UK in the hope of "rooting out Extremism" is nothing more than a ploy in attempting to convince Muslims of a problem that doesn't exist, whilst at the same time shielding the government from criticism of it's foreign policy.

One has to question the sincerity of any action taken by the Police, Media or Government vis a vi the Muslim community, whilst the Police have a duty to protect the public they have a greater duty to at least accept failings when injustice is done. When it comes to the Muslim community there seems to be no willingness to accept responsibility.

Is it little wonder that some would call this country a "Police State" for the Muslims?

BIG BROTHER Issue

By Majed Iqbal- The Channel 4 programme Big Brother sparked a national debate off and a minor diplomatic incident last month after Indian contestant Shilpa Shetty was subjected to allegedly racist bullying by white housemates. Whilst certain segments of the population voiced their opposition to such behaviour to broadcasting watchdog Ofcom, which took a total of 45,100 complaints and Channel 4 fielding more than 10,000, National newspapers took the opportunity to cashing into the whole discussion.

The Daily Mirror's exclusive interview with the Celebrity Big Brother winner boosted sales by at least 160,000 copies daily, paying in the region of £60,000 for its exclusive interview, whilst the Sun gave away free Bollywood film DVDs of the actress.But away from the media frenzy stood an important discussion which had surfaced from the entire debacle which even the Prime Minister was not exempt from.

The Government's equality chief, Trevor Phillips attempted to home into the discussion accusing Channel 4 of failing to take responsibility for the race row. "It was prejudice, and should have no place in our society ... what took place was a noxious brew of old-fashioned class conflict, straightforward bullying, ignorance and quite vicious racial bigotry."