LONDONISTAN (TERM)

'Londonistan' (Arabic spelling لندنستان) is an a pejorative sobriquet referring to the English capital of London. The variation 'Londinistan' is also in use. The term refers to the freedom in which Islamists operated in London. Originating in France, it is commonly used in the French press.

Contents

Origin

Criticism

Examples of usage in the Arabic press

See also

References

External links

Origin

These terms originated in 1995 from French counter-terrorism agents, as well as by the governments of Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, because of the number of exiled Islamist groups that established political headquarters in the city, from which they may seek to overthrow governments they consider oppressive or heretical, or plan terror attacks on other European countries.
Britain's attractions for Islamist dissidents are said to include its historical commitment to freedom of speech and perceptions that victims of political repression receive asylum, access to temporary accommodation and some monetary support. 13,026 asylum seekers were being accommodated in London on 25 March 2005, according to statistics from the London Asylum Seekers Consortium.
The British government's perceived unwillingness to prosecute or extradite terrorist suspects provoked tensions with countries in which attacks occurred. Allegations of a British policy of appeasement of Islamists were made and denied; should such a policy have existed, it could no longer be considered a success.
The word is a portmanteau of the British capital and the Persian suffix -stan, meaning land.

Criticism

The term is accused by some of being "racist", especially after it was used as the title for a book by Melanie Phillips, voted most "Islamophobic" Journalist by the Islamic Human Rights Commission in 2003. However, others have pointed out that this term, alluding to Muslim inhabitants and actions, cannot be racist, because Islam itself is not any one race of people but rather a religious and political ideology that is practiced by a vast array of ethnicities. Contrary to popular opinion most Muslims are not Arabic, but rather the majority of the world's muslims live in Southeastern Asia.

Examples of usage in the Arabic press

★ at Al-Arabiya, 10 July 2005

★ at Ash-Sharq al-Awsat, 8 May 2006

See also

★ Islamism in London

★ -stan

★ Londonistan (book)

★ Londonstani

★ Eurabia

★ Islam in the United Kingdom

★ Bahrain Freedom Movement

References

# What's the risk to London?
# European press review, 6 March 2006
# European press review, 8 July, 2005
# Islamophobia Awards
# ''London Asylum Seekers Consortium'', 2005. "http://www.alg.gov.uk/doc.asp?doc=11960&cat=1035 Asylum seekers supported by London local authorities"

External links

★ Sean O'Neill ''Why France lived in fear of 'Londonistan', Daily Telegraph

★ London Review of Books’ ''In the Streets of Londonistan''

★ New Statesman’s ''Why the French call us Londonistan''

★ Stephen Ulph on ''Londonistan'' for Global Terrorism Analysis

★ For a Decade, London Thrived as a Busy Crossroads of Terror, ''New York Times'', July 10, 2005

★ Les limites du cynisme britannique (the limits of British cynicism), ''Le Figaro'', July 18, 2005

★ 'Londonistan' no longer rings true, ''The Guardian'', July 17, 2005

★ Why Muslims reject British values by A. Sivanandan, published in The Observer, October 16, 2005

★ Guilty: the cleric who preached murder as a religious duty''The Guardian'', February 8 2006

★ Hate Demo Over Cartoon''The Sun''