I am confused - is it a Religion of Peace or not?

Tony Blair, Gordon Brown and any number of Labour ministers have queued up over the past few years to state categorically that the terrorists who killed themselves and 52 innocent commuters, as well as injuring 700 more in 2005 and those who have tried with various degrees of success since that date, have nothing to so with Islam. Islam being, as they state, "a religion of peace". Now I read in The Times that "MUSLIM women are to be sent on leadership and assertiveness courses to help to prevent Islamic extremism."

It would appear that "In an attempt to stop young Muslims being seduced by Al-Qaeda, women will be sent on training courses designed for FTSE 100 managers to give them the skills and confidence to confront fanatics. Amid fears that extremists are becoming more sophisticated in their recruitment, Hazel Blears, the communities secretary, has concluded that a key way to stop extremist ideas further permeating Muslim communities is to give “the silent majority” a stronger voice. She is to publish a good practice guidance document which will say that “resilient communities can only exist where women are playing a full and active part”. Blears will tell local authorities to use part of a £70m government fund set up to combat extremism to pay for the courses in confidence building, communication and mediation skills.
Muslim women will be offered work placements with business leaders and top athletes to imbue assertiveness and leadership and help them to advance their careers. Funding will be available to set up local Muslim women’s groups to provide a “safe space” where they can discuss their concerns. The plan is likely to attract criticism from some Muslim men who will see it as a threat to cultural traditions about the role of women in society. Blears believes that Muslim women have “untapped potential” to become a voice of moderation in communities targeted by fanatics. Half of all Muslim women have never worked and the government believes that improving their educational and job prospects will boost their influence."


So does Islam have anything to do with these terrorist attacks in the UK? If so, what have Labour ministers been wittering on about since 2005? If not, then why is Hazel Blears spending £70m on this project? Maybe we could spend the money on beefing up the police or securing our borders.


I thought my old friend Inayat "taken out of context" Bunglawala would have something to say about this and indeed he did "The Muslim Council of Britain accused the government of trying to turn women into government spies. “The government at first wanted our imams to act as spies on young British Muslims and now they seem to want Muslim women to do the same,” said Inayat Bunglawala, the council’s assistant secretary-general."


The Times article continues, "The Home Office estimates between 10,000 and 15,000 British Muslims support Al-Qaeda or other terrorist groups. The document, to be published this month, will express concern that extremists are targeting young people aged between 16 and 35. “Extremists’ operation methods and use of technology are becoming ever more sophisticated. They are exploiting ungoverned spaces such as the internet, bookshops and cafes and using new media to put across slick and seductive messages,” a draft of the paper says."

Lovely, 10,000-15,000 supporters of Islamic terrorism living openly in the UK; that makes me feel so safe. A friend's wife died in the 7/7 bombings, I do not want anyone else to go through what he went through.