'We must not allow woke activists to stop us confronting Islamist extremism,' says former UK home secretary

A prominent British MP has warned against sanitising the deadly "ideological virus" of Islamism, claiming the woke minority are threatening efforts to root out Islamic terrorism.

Writing exclusively for the Telegraph, former home secretary Sajid Javid slammed those who cry "Islamophobia" when Western governments seek to deal with the challenges of Islamist extremism.

Javid, who is himself a Muslim, claimed that Western liberal democracies are under threat from a "grotesque form of separatism" that needs to be confronted. He added that President Emmanuel Macron is right – a reference to the French leader's crackdown on Islamist extremism.   

I believe it is critical that we confront this ideology head on.

The MP said that there are people who seek to distract us from the radical nature of their beliefs and sanitise the "ideological virus" of Islamism. He noted that there were efforts to rebrand extremism as "faith-based violence" or irhabi – the Arabic word for terrorist.

Javid also took issue with well-meaning people and woke activists who stand in the way of tackling Islamist extremism and "victim-blame the West and cry Islamophobia."

Confronting the threat requires people to separate Islam from its "grotesque mutation," Javid said. He contended that "there are well-meaning officials who worry that Islamism, a term with credible and established meaning, could be seen as implicating the entire religion of Islam and all its diverse and peaceful adherents."

He added that extremism is flourishing under the current lockdown conditions and that Covid-19 has "not deterred or distracted terrorists in Europe."

Javid's article has engendered considerable debate across social media. Many people support his approach, although some would like to see the government come down harder on Islamism. 

Meanwhile, one Twitter user was less than impressed by Javid's remarks in support of the French president.

The MP's comments come one year after the Fishmongers' Hall attack at London Bridge, which saw terrorist Usman Khan, on day release, murder helpers Jack Merritt, 25, and Saskia Jones, 23, at a prisoner rehabilitation event.

This year, there has been a rise in Islamist extremist cases referred to the counter-radicalization programme, while a number of high-profile attacks in France and Austria have seen national leaders take a tougher approach to tackling the extremist threat.

Macron's crackdown on Islamist separatism has drawn the ire of Muslim leaders around the world, with many calling for a boycott of French goods.

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