AL-QAEDA THREAT TO BRITAIN

[fireflybob]

From BBC Teletext:-

NEWS STORY

AL-QAEDA THREAT TO BRITAIN
Osama bin Laden's terrorist network Al-Qaeda has threatened to hit British and American targets after a week of allied air raids on Afghanistan.

Terror group spokesman Sulaiman Abu Ghaith said that British and US forces should quit the Gulf or face attacks.

The warning on Qatar's Al-Jazeera TV channel said Muslims in Britain and the US should avoid travelling on planes.


RECEIVED: 13/10/01 23:30:57

[mallard]

That's the definition of terrorism is it not?
If you are terrified they have already won.
President W Bush said the most stupid thing so far when he told us all to carry on as normal. As if!
Normality is out the window now.
The more I think about this the more I fail to see us getting out of it peaceably.
We have been asleep to the growing rift betwwen east and west. The cultures really are incompatible. I thought we had a fairly robust multi-cultural society in the UK and I believe it would have remained so.
US Christian hardliners and Muslim fundamentalists fill me with portents of doom.
Apocalypse is not my favourite word.
Hinduism and Buddism have had little mention in the last month, a pity as my experience of their societies has been more encouraging than what is now going on.
Anyway it just goes to show how dangerous religion can be and how blindingly stupid we may be to give automatic respect to it.
I have mentioned politics and religion in the same post; am I allowed to do that?

[Blacksheep]

I'm afraid that I don't agree that the "Two Cultures" do not mix. I've been happily mixing them for more than thirty years now without the slightest difficulty and hope to continue mixing them until the end.

What we cannot mix is the anarchic pot-pourri of total freedom - which includes accomodating extremist views. When "minority rights" are given priority over the views of the majority, the result is a shapeless mass of minority opinions and freedom of expression that inevitably degenerates into yob culture. What we need is less freedom and less tolerance. Given time, normal social standards will return. In the meantime we'll have to get used to the consequences of permissiveness - restrictions on real freedom and an atmosphere of constant fear.

Back in the 'swinging sixties' I always wondered why old guys were such a reactionary bunch of old gits. Finally I discover the answer as I too, inevitably become a reactionary old git.

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Through

[Paterbrat]

Well Britain and US have serious intentions on Al Quaida'a ass so I guess they had better start worrying as well. Somehow I have a warm and toasty feeling that their asss stands a reasonable chance of bursting into flame any time now.