Jihad amid the dreaming spires

7 July 2007

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Alex Lewis investigates claims that the Islamists are recruiting at Oxford University and talks to the exiled Omar Bakri who happily confirms his fears.

‘I’d say most people on the centre-right could not fail to be impressed at the success of Blair and Brown’s essentially conservative approach. The government is developing sophisticated policies while distinguishing between peaceful and decent Muslims and the small group of self-declared enemies of democracy, and I think it will pay off at election time,’ he said.

‘But David Cameron is a different matter. There is a deafening silence from him on this. How can he be seen as a credible future PM if he cannot stand up for the liberal democratic way of life against those who hate it?’

‘Even in response to the Queen’s Speech last year, he suggested that there was no real security threat and that the government was using the “politics of fear” to cover up its failings. After last week’s attacks, does he still believe that this is the politics of fear?’

‘David Cameron has to reclaim ownership of core conservative values. What else are we fighting for? Churchill made it clear that the Battle of Britain was about a fight between parliamentary liberal democracy and totalitarian dictatorship. It’s the same bottom line here. So where are the Churchills in the Tory party now?’

And where for that matter are the university dons? They should by now be taking the threat of Islamist recruiters seriously and warning students to be on their guard.