Open letter to Nick Clegg

Nick

One of the legitimate criticisms of the decision to join the last Iraq war was that there was no plan on what would happen afterwards. Assuming the proposed air strikes weaken the ISIL organisation to a point where the legitimate ground forces of the Iraqi government can re-gain effective control of areas of Iraq currently under ISIL control, what happens then?

No doubt large tranches of infrastructure and buildings would have been destroyed. Civilians would have lost their lives and/or been displaced. The number of refugees moving around the Middle East in different directions has already moved into the millions, and that number will increase.

Despite the West’s best efforts ISIL will still be seen as a romantic and heroic organisation for rebellious Muslims from around the world to join, to then commit barbarous atrocities as acts of revenge against Western imperialists.

I believe the present problem is one for the Muslim Arab nations to solve. When the West intervenes with its weapons, first on one “side” and then another, it simply spreads the problem to the rest of the world.

We are not learning from history. If we are to stop the numbers of home-grown Muslims travelling to the Middle East to get involved (and trained), the answer to the domestic terrorist threat (which should be your first concern as the Deputy Prime Minister) is to support a Muslim narrative led by Muslims here to explain why ISIL is not the romantic heroic organisation it is depicted to be. It is and should be seen by Muslims as an un-Islamic organisation which distorts the faith for the pursuit of fascism.

So stop the bombs - provide technical expertise and training to the Iraqi government forces if you must - but let’s think about an alternative strategy to make our country stronger, safer, more peaceful and more inclusive than it is now.

With best wishes

JOHN BRYANT
Member and ex-councillor
Camden Liberal Democrats