A new chapter in our fight against Islamist radicalisation and terrorism

The brutal stabbing of Sir David Amess which resulted in his death has left many with broken hearts. Sir Amess was a kind and gentle person, who fought for humanity, freedom and democracy for over four decades inside and outside of the UK. He devoted his life to the betterment of his community, supporting his constituents with all their concerns, and amongst many of his efforts, he led a powerful fight against Iran’s occupying regime as the chairman of the all-party British Parliamentary Committee for Iran Freedom.

I cannot begin to express how the loss of such an individual has affected the lives of many, and I am sure that Sir David Amess' legacy will remain with us for generations to come.

Given the nature of this brutal attack, I feel obligated to make a number of remarks, partly as a colleague to Sir David Amess within the Conservative Party, partly as a human rights defender, and partly as a Muslim. This was a suspected act of Islamist terrorism, where the perpetrator hijacked and used the name of Islam to justify his atrocity.

This kind of extreme ideology is more prevalent in other countries, but we are not safe from its threats here in the UK. Systematic brainwashing of such individuals take place on a regular basis, using a narrow-minded ideology rooted in superstition, hate, bigotry and violence, all under the pretext of Islam, to spread division and to place terror within the hearts of the communities.

Sir David Amess was well aware of the dangers posed by such ideologies and its root causes, fighting for democratic reform and human rights in the so-called ‘Islamic’ Republic of Iran, who have violated the rights of Iranian people over the last 40 years, and completely destabilised the entire Middle East, as the world’s largest state sponsor of terrorism and anti-Semitism.

What makes this attack by an individual, who claims to be a Muslim particularly shocking, is the fact that Sir David Amess spent a considerable amount of his time and resources helping Muslim refugees. Sir David Amess was an icon who truly became a beacon of hope for many and the nature of this attack not only leaves thousands of aching hearts across the world, but no doubt worsens the already existing issue of Islamophobia within our society.

With that in mind, I am a true believer that we, as a society have now entered a new chapter in our fight against Islamist radicalisation and terrorism, and it is first incumbent on all Muslims to be at the forefront of this fight. Radical ideologies which lead to acts of terrorism are acts of pure terrorism, regardless of what religion they happen to use to justify their actions. The perpetrators follow a line of ideology, which has been strategically exported into the West. Which is why it is so important for us to find the root causes of such brutal acts, and to not treat them as individual cases.

As someone who has spoken numerously across Europe on the serious threats of Islamist radicalisation and terrorism, I believe that here in the UK, there is an urgent need for a very open and honest dialogue, to see whether enough is being done to counteract these threats. The safety and security of the British public is now a top priority, and we should all do our part to continue in the footsteps of Sir David Amess in preserving our freedom and democracy.