According to Gaurdian, the British government is considering plans that would lead to thousands more British Muslims being branded as extremists. The proposals are part of a counterterrorism strategy which ministers and security officials are drawing up and it is expected to be unveiled next month.

According to a draft of the strategy, Contest 2 as it is known in Whitehall, people would be considered as extremists if:

• They advocate a caliphate, a pan-Islamic state encompassing many countries.

• They promote Sharia law.

• They believe in jihad, or armed resistance, anywhere in the world. This would include armed resistance by Palestinians against the Israeli military.

• They argue that Islam bans homosexuality and that it is a sin against Allah.

• They fail to condemn the killing of British soldiers in Iraq or Afghanistan.

Contest 2 would widen the definition of extremists to those who hold views that clash with what the government defines as shared British values. Does that mean all the British people other than Muslims do approve of the Israel’s aggression in Palestine?

Those who advocate the wider definition say hardline Islamist interpretation of the Quran leads to views that are the root cause of the terrorism threat Britain faces. However, they fail to see the actual root cause of extremism. The way United states and Europe including Britian has reacted after 9/11, that is the major reason we are seeing increased extremism through out the world. Extremism only breeds extremism.

If people who are behind the draft beleive that by branding more British Muslims extremist and alienating them will solve the problem of terrorism, then they are day dreaming.