The Search For Enlightenment

Further developments in the Abu Qatada extradition story must be giving others the same troubled thoughts as I am having. Cleric Qatada is, without doubt, a dangerous man, extolling, as he does, acts of terrorism and killing on behalf of the mujahedeen. His release from Long Lartin jail in mid February caused outcry in the UK.

He has been accused of being one of the UK’s most dangerous extremist preachers as well as the spiritual head of the mujahedeen in Britain. Many, many people in this country would be very happy to see him sent back to Jordan, where he has been charged with terrorist activities in his absence.

But the fact that he is clearly a dangerous influence and potentially a risk to UK security does not give us carte blanche to put him on a plane and send him off to a country who make little effort to hide their use of torture to extract ‘evidence’ for legal cases.

We like to pride ourselves on our British characteristic of fair play, to extol the virtues of our democratic society and our belief that everyone is equal under British law. So it is beholding to us to extend those qualities to everyone, even if that person is undeniably an unsavoury and potentially dangerous character.

We must do, and be seen to do, the right thing by cleric Qatada. We must abide by the decisions made in the European Court of Human Rights regarding the terms and conditions of his extradition to Jordan. We must also make full use this high profile case, to exert pressure on Jordan to stop the use of torture under any circumstances and to press them to respect the United Nations Human Rights Treaty.

The reports today from Westminster, that Qatada can be removed from the UK ‘in full compliance of the law’ is meaningless if he is removed to a country that flouts international treaties and tortures confessions out of people. If we remove him in the wrong circumstances, we will bring more trouble upon ourselves in the future, so let’s get it right.