Londonistan: How Britain is Creating a Terror State Within

This article is about the book. For for the political term, see Londonistan (term).
Londonistan: How Britain is Creating a Terror State Within
Author Melanie Phillips
Country United Kingdom
Language English
Subject Islamic terrorism
Politics
Publisher Encounter books
Publication date
 2006
Media type Print (Hardcover)
Pages 212
ISBN 1-59403-144-4
OCLC 64595883
363.3250941 22
LC Class HV6433.G7 P55 2006

Londonistan: How Britain is Creating a Terror State Within is a 2006 best-selling[1] book by the British journalist Melanie Phillips about the spread of Islamism in the United Kingdom over the previous twenty years. The book was published in London by Encounter books.

Overview

The book encompasses a critique of multiculturalism, alleged weak policing, cultural relativism and what Phillips calls a "victim culture". She argues that these forces combined to create an ideal breeding ground for Islamic terrorists. She points to the centrality of London-based individuals and groups to many terror plots around the world, which she argues were enabled by a semi-formal "covenant of security" between Islamists and the British authorities. Zacharias Moussaoui and the shoe-bomber Richard Reid are two of many such examples she points to in the book.

Critical reception

According to Kenan Malik in The Independent, Phillips's arguments share some striking similarities with Islamists. He wrote that, "Both insist that we are in a religious world war between the forces of good and evil. Both believe that only religion can help restrain decadent behaviour and establish a proper moral framework. Both abhor the growth of secular humanism. Both see Britain as "a debauched and disorderly culture of instant gratification, with disintegrating families, feral children and violence, squalor and vulgarity on the streets".[2]

Describing the book in The American Conservative magazine, the writer Theodore Dalrymple wrote "the British journalist Melanie Phillips documents not only the establishment and growth of Muslim extremist groups in London but the administrative incompetence and cultural weakness that permitted it to happen. Some pusillanimity that she records would be funny if it were not so deeply disturbing."[3]

Writing for The Daily Telegraph, the historian and writer Michael Burleigh decided that the book could not be more "timely" and praised her "sensible suggestions".[4]

David Smith, writing for The Observer, compared Phillips to "a crazed boxer" who "comes out swinging wildly and some of her punches land. ... But her shrill, hectoring tone does her no favours." Smith also claims that Phillips is wrong to say that piggy banks were banished from British banks in case Muslims were offended.[5] "A small point, perhaps, but a telling one".[6]

See also

References

  1. ↑ The Times Christmas choice: politics The Times, 7 December 2007
  2. ↑ "Londonistan, by Melanie Phillips". The Independent. 2006-07-27. Retrieved 2016-06-16.
  3. ↑ Theodore Dalrymple (12 February 2007). "Speak the Queen's Urdu". The American Conservative. Retrieved 13 October 2013.
  4. ↑ Michael Burleigh, "Why we now grow our own terrorists", The Daily Telegraph, 19 July 2006
  5. ↑ Piggy-banks offend UK Muslims at theage.com.au/news
  6. ↑ David Smith, "Enemy within" (book review), The Observer, 22 April 2007
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