TORONTO — The threat posed by global jihadists has escalated since Islamic radicals destroyed the World Trade Center in New York City eight years ago, claims a Conservative party member of the British Parliament.
Michael Gove [Sheldon Kirshner photo]
“They’re more dangerous than ever,” said Michael Gove, the author of Celsius 7/7: How the West’s Policy of Appeasement Has Provoked Yet More Fundamentalist Terror – And What Has To Be Done Now.
Brought to Toronto by UJA Federation of Greater Toronto to speak to donors, Gove, a rising star in his right-of-centre party, has represented the riding of Surrey Heath since 2005 and has been the Conservative shadow secretary of state for children, schools and family for the past two years.
Reporting to Conservative leader David Cameron, Gove, 42, would likely be appointed to his cabinet if the Conservatives form Britain’s next government.
In a recent interview, Gove, a former journalist, said that Islamists, from Hezbollah in Lebanon to the Taliban in Afghanistan, have grown stronger since the events of Sept. 11, 2001 in the United States.“Islamists are confident that the West will falter,” he said. “What the West needs is able political leadership, resolution, endurance and an ability to sacrifice.”
Western leaders should look to Britain’s wartime prime minister, Winston Churchill, for inspiration, he noted.
Weakness and appeasement will only embolden Islamists, warned Gove, who worked for the Times and has contributed to the Spectator.
Branding Islamists as the new Nazis and Communists, Gove said that, based on their writings, they aspire to reverse the decline of the Muslim world, overthrow secular Muslim governments, establish regimes grounded in Sharia law, reclaim territory once ruled by Muslims, including Spain and Israel, and resurrect the caliphate in all its former glory.
“Their agenda is relatively transparent,” said Gove.
The West can push back by vigorously combating Islamist encroachments, such as in Afghanistan, cutting off funding to extremist organizations and strengthening the voices of moderate Muslims who, he contended, are “peace-loving.”
In his view, more and more Muslim moderates are speaking out against Islamic fundamentalism. “We should encourage them. They need help.”
Gove claimed that a lack of will to confront Islamism, particularly before 2001, was buttressed by left-wing elements in the media and academia.
“They have a tendency to put the West in the dock for the indignities that have taken place in the Muslim world, as if the West is responsible. There’s a terrible tendency to blame ourselves.”
Westerners should not believe “our enemy’s propaganda” that terrorism can be traced to either poverty and historical grievances, Gove declared.
The roots of terrorism are instead buried in ideological conviction, he added.
Gove argued that Islamism is a perversion of Islam, just as Nazism was a mockery of nationalism and Communism was a misapplication of socialism.
Calling for an “ethical” foreign policy to promote genuine democracy and the rule of law, he expressed confidence that democratic principles can one day take root in such authoritarian Arab regimes as Egypt.
“The desire to choose your own leaders is a universal yearning, though it’s not an easy path to tread,” said Gove, who said he is heartened by the growth of democracy in Iraq since the 2003 allied invasion. “The world is safer and more prosperous with democracy.”
To Gove, foreign policy need not be based solely on realpolitik.
He believes that invading Iraq was “the right thing to do,” although he admits that mistakes were made during the post-war era.
“Iraq under Saddam Hussein was a torture chamber. We now have a democratically elected government in Iraq.”
Turning to Iran’s current quest for a nuclear arsenal, Gove said Tehran can’t be allowed to achieve its objective. “Iran is led by an eliminationalist anti-Semite who wants to destroy Israel. We should make it clear that it’s unacceptable for Iran to acquire nuclear weapons. If Iran were a liberal democracy, then the whole nature of the debate would be different.”
Asked if he would support an Israeli military strike on Iran’s nuclear sites, Gove replied, “Israel has a right to take whatever steps to defend itself. Israel is uniquely vulnerable, and no option should be taken off the table.”
Gove said be “completely understands” why Israel, despite its denials, maintains a nuclear force.
A member of the Conservative Friends of Israel organization, he voiced understanding of Israel’s invasion of the Gaza Strip last winter. “Israel was facing a terrorist threat from Hamas. Israel was also sending a signal to Iran that it has every intention of defending itself.”
A supporter of a a two-state solution to resolve Israel’s conflict with the Palestinians, he said, “I pray it happens, but I fear it won’t happen soon. It requires a willingness by Palestinian leaders to live in peace with Israel, which I don’t see.”
But if a Palestinian state arises, it should be a democracy. “If it is not a proper democratic state, it’ll always be a launching pad for terror and violence.”
Declining to be drawn into a discussion about the future boundaries of such a state, he said, “Its not for me to say where its borders should be.”
Hewing to his thesis that British citizens should disavow divisive separatist identities, Gove said that Muslims in Britain should emulate the Jewish community and join mainstream society without giving up their cultural and religious traditions.
Although he is “profoundly concerned” that a handful of British Muslims have been drawn to terrorism, he said that the vast majority wish to participate in mainstream life and are “great citizens.”
