Celsius 7/7
Michael Gove
Orion, 160pp, £9.99
Michael Gove has written a powerful and timely account of the rise of Islamism in the UK and abroad. He gives a detailed historical critique of the rise of Islamism and, in particular, highlights the way Israel is used as a scapegoat for Islamists – looking at the vehement state sponsored anti-Semitism in many Middle Eastern countries.
He picks apart the various groups of people who have ignored its ascent, in particular, the leftists who pay no attention to the growth of Islamism due to their anti-Americanism and western self-loathing. He argues that this has also led to ‘fellow travellers’ of Islamism; examples given include Ken Livingstone’s willingness to share platforms with Islamists, such as Sheikh Yusef al-Qaradawi, the spiritual leader of the Muslim Brotherhood.
Gove argues that too many people for too long have accommodated Islamism. He asserts that there is a link between the perceived weakness of the west and the UK in dealing with terrorism and the Islamist advance we face today. Rejecting the ‘moral relativism’ that underpins this weakness, he argues forcibly that we need to move towards ‘a truly inclusive model of British citizenship in which divisive, separatist identities are challenged and rejected’. This challenge is perhaps most pertinent for those on the liberal left. With the realisation that the UK bred its own, apparently assimilated, suicide bombers, comes a responsibility on all of us to help defeat Islamist terrorism, and prevent the spread of Islamism here, in our own communities.