Londonistan calling

Mark Trevelyan:

Did past tolerance towards high-profile Islamist militants help sow the seeds for last week's London bombings?

Critics say a long tradition of granting asylum to Middle East dissidents at risk of jail, torture or death in their own countries helped foster the emergence of a dangerously radical Islamist scene.

This earned the capital the nickname "Londonistan" in some foreign intelligence circles -- an ironic tag with connotations of central and south Asian militancy.

"At the end of the day, Britain's attachment to tolerance has brought it nothing but death and desolation," said European security analyst Claude Moniquet, describing London as "the world capital of militant -- and even armed -- Islamism".

Home Secretary Charles Clarke described as "total nonsense" the idea that Britain had granted safe haven to extremists.

But it was not until after the September 11 attacks on the United States in 2001 that Britain clamped down on outspoken Arab radicals who had for years been calling for jihad, or holy war, against the West.

The best known was Abu Hamza al-Masri, a firebrand Muslim preacher with an eye-patch and a hook for an arm he lost while fighting Soviet troops in Afghanistan.

A notorious figure in the British media, he was last week appearing in pre-trial hearings in court, accused of incitement to murder, even as the country reeled from attacks that killed at least 52 people and were blamed by the government on al Qaeda-type militants.

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