6 Bangladeshis arrested in London over terror plot

[F6_Turbo]

Six arrested in London anti-terror operation
Police officer outside the Stratford house An eyewitness in Stratford said he was woken by a large explosion

Five men and a woman suspected of terrorism offences have been arrested in London as part of an intelligence-led investigation involving MI5.

One of the six, who are aged between 18 and 30, was Tasered by police. Eight homes in west, east and north London and one business are being searched.

It is understood the arrests relate to a possible plot involving Islamist extremists, with potential UK targets.

One of those arrested in Stratford is an ex-police community support officer.

The person served with the Metropolitan Police for more than two years before resigning in September 2009.

The Metropolitan Police said the arrests were not linked to the Olympics or Paralympic Games.

Security sources are describing the arrests as "significant", but there is no suggestion at the moment of any imminent attack, BBC home affairs correspondent Danny Shaw says.

It is understood that police involved in the long-running operation decided to act on Thursday on the grounds of public safety.

The UK terrorism threat level is unchanged from "substantial", which means a terrorist attack is a "strong possibility". There are two higher levels - "severe", meaning an attack is "highly likely", and "critical", meaning an attack is "expected imminently".

Some - if not all - of those arrested on suspicion of the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism are British nationals, our correspondent adds.

They include a 21-year-old man and a 30-year-old woman, who were detained at separate addresses in Ealing, west London, while a 29-year-old man was arrested in an Ealing street. The woman is married to one of the men.

Three brothers, aged 18, 24 and 26, were detained in Abbey Road, Stratford, east London, during the operation involving armed officers.

The 24-year-old man who was Tasered during his arrest did not need hospital treatment, police said.

All six have been taken to a police station in south-east London.

An eyewitness to the Stratford raid, Mark Window, told the BBC he had been woken up by an explosion at 04:15 BST.

"I looked out my window, saw loads of mini-explosions going off still, loads of black-clad figures milling around," he said.

"One was halfway up a ladder, through a window, and you realise it's some sort of police operation going on instead of kids messing about with fireworks which is what you think when you first wake up."
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-18720213

Though the BBC article doesn't state their heritage, Bangladeshi press have confirmed the accused are unfortunately Bangladeshi.

Really depressing...mind you, UK Bangladeshis are a lot more radicalized than their counter parts in the US/Can/Aus etc...

Look at the age range, 18-30. Most likely born and raised in the west...yet they hate it. Losers.

[Navo]

This is incredibly tragic One step back for the UK Bangladeshi community if they are convicted...

[Jadukor]

There is something inherently wrong with our islamic teaching system.

[F6_Turbo]

Originally Posted by Navo
This is incredibly tragic One step back for the UK Bangladeshi community if they are convicted...

Yup, I know from my visits there, there is a lot of hate for the Pakistani community there...but Bangladeshis are still looked at as being peaceful(not as well liked as the Indian or specifically the Sikh community - they bloody LOVE them.)

But incidents like this, do irreparable damage to the community. As I said in the Pakistan thread I opened, when stuff like this happens, no one listens to the 99% of the community not involved in this sort of criminality - everyone gets lumped together.

Case in point - NAVO, being in the UK, I'm sure you were aware of all the negative press surrounding the grooming on young white girls by Pakistani men, and the arrests and exposes a month or so ago.

[HereWeGo]

Originally Posted by F6_Turbo
Yup, I know from my visits there, there is a lot of hate for the Pakistani community there...but Bangladeshis are still looked at as being peaceful(not as well liked as the Indian or specifically the Sikh community - they bloody LOVE them.)

But incidents like this, do irreparable damage to the community. As I said in the Pakistan thread I opened, when stuff like this happens, no one listens to the 99% of the community not involved in this sort of criminality - everyone gets lumped together.

Case in point - NAVO, being in the UK, I'm sure you were aware of all the negative press surrounding the grooming on young white girls by Pakistani men, and the arrests and exposes a month or so ago.

There are very few radicals amongst bangladeshis living in Bangladesh (Same is not true with Pakistan). A lot of them get radicalised when they travel west. I dont know how and why this happens but something is definately wrong with the way religion is being made to preach in the west. Again that is just my view from what I have observed generally....

[F6_Turbo]

I blame the Saudi funded madrassa system - they teach nothing but hate.

Bhai amar kotha simple - no one is begging you to live in the west...if you hate it so freaking much...LEAVE. No one is forcing you to stay.

Sure, I'll take advantage of the lifestyle...the benefits, the education...but curse the country every chance I get. Hell, eto Islam respect korle...why not follow the words of Allah and the Prophet -

'you have a duty to the land you live in and your neighbors'

[mufi_02]

Agree with HWG. But so far there was no bad press of Bangladeshis in North America. In fact, people here generally have very good opinion of Bangladeshis. In the press also, there has always been positive portrayal from many incidents -- taxi driver returning diamonds, young men saving a guy in subway and many more.

Hope it stays this way.

[Nadim]

Nothing new

Posted via BC Mobile Edition (Blackberry)

[MohammedC]

Originally Posted by Navo
This is incredibly tragic One step back for the UK Bangladeshi community if they are convicted...

Nothing to do with "Bangladeshi". This people have no love for Bangladesh. Only thing close to the word Bangladesh is their skin colour and their Parents.

[MohammedC]

Originally Posted by HereWeGo
There are very few radicals amongst bangladeshis living in Bangladesh (Same is not true with Pakistan). A lot of them get radicalised when they travel west. I dont know how and why this happens but something is definately wrong with the way religion is being made to preach in the west. Again that is just my view from what I have observed generally....

Excellent post.

[Jadukor]

I think this is how it happens:
Step 1: deshi guy goes abroad with big dreams
Step 2: can't integrate into the culture/society
Step 3: becomes isolated and lonely and turns to religion
Step 4: finds a peerbaba/spiritual leader in the local mosque and gets wowed by his infinite wisdom
Step 5: peer baba teaches the true path to salvation
Step 6: kaaboom!

[TigerEz]

Or they probably went through what i had to go through! In school i was bullied and stuff for me being me! i sometimes feel like really doing something bad...but i gotta really keep myself cool. Hopefully everythings ok in London

[Navo]

Originally Posted by F6_Turbo
Yup, I know from my visits there, there is a lot of hate for the Pakistani community there...but Bangladeshis are still looked at as being peaceful(not as well liked as the Indian or specifically the Sikh community - they bloody LOVE them.)

But incidents like this, do irreparable damage to the community. As I said in the Pakistan thread I opened, when stuff like this happens, no one listens to the 99% of the community not involved in this sort of criminality - everyone gets lumped together.

Case in point - NAVO, being in the UK, I'm sure you were aware of all the negative press surrounding the grooming on young white girls by Pakistani men, and the arrests and exposes a month or so ago.

Originally Posted by MohammedC
Nothing to do with "Bangladeshi". This people have no love for Bangladesh. Only thing close to the word Bangladesh is their skin colour and their Parents.

Originally Posted by Jadukor
I think this is how it happens:
Step 1: deshi guy goes abroad with big dreams
Step 2: can't integrate into the culture/society
Step 3: becomes isolated and lonely and turns to religion
Step 4: finds a peerbaba/spiritual leader in the local mosque and gets wowed by his infinite wisdom
Step 5: peer baba teaches the true path to salvation
Step 6: kaaboom!

MoC bhai, as F6 bhai said, even if these young people don't consider themselves to be 'Bangladeshi' or even love their country, a negative impression of the Bangladeshi community will still be generated. The tabloids are always looking for immigrant communities to latch onto.

Related to what Jadukor bhai said, this is what I feel about the British-Bangladeshi identity crisis (that I've posted on BC before):

In my four years in the UK till date, I've often gotten the impression that religion is a 'culture substitute' for british-bangladeshi youth, where alienation from both their native culture and 'western' culture has led them to cling to another set of cultural values i.e. Islamic values.

Growing up abroad, many of them have never learned their native language and have never become really familiar with Bengali literature, music, festivals, customs etc. You'll almost never see a young guy in a cotton panjabi or a lungi or a girl in a sari (except for weddings). At the same time, many of them also feel distant from western customs and habits and feel that they do not truly belong to it. So, in this state of limbo, they attach themselves to a more pan-national set of values that give them a sense of identity and community. By being British-Muslim, they suddenly have brothers and sisters from Pakistan, Afghanistan, Palestine, Malaysia, Indonesia and all over the Muslim ummah. This particular attachment is clear from the fervor with which the youth campaign for Palestine as compared to socio-political issues in Bangladesh. I believe it is this desire for identity and community that causes many deshi young people abroad to be religious.

This is not the same in Bangladesh, at least not yet. Bangladesh may only be 41 years old but there have been Bengali Muslims living in that particular tract of land for many more years than that. This gestation has allowed for a more comfortable synthesis to be reached between culture and religion, which allows them to exist side by side. Many people are deeply pious but also greatly revere their mother tongue and immerse themselves in cultural festivals. (I'm speaking generally of course, there are always exceptions) It isn't really a choice, it just happens.

In contrast to that, however, in the last couple of decades, many choices have opened up to Bangladeshi youth. They can choose to stay the course of their parents or they can become increasingly 'westernized' or 'bollywood-ized'. Striking a balance is difficult and I am sure many of them will face crises of identity like their British-Bangladeshi cousins in the UK/US.

Someone who embodies this 'caught between two cultures' identity is Lowkey, the Anglo-Iraqi hip hop artist. He describes himself as being an 'Englishmen amongst Arabs and an Arab amongst Englishmen'. I suppose that's the case between many of our UK Bangladeshi brethren, particularly of my generation.

[Banglatiger84]

Originally Posted by Jadukor
I think this is how it happens:
Step 1: deshi guy goes abroad with big dreams
Step 2: can't integrate into the culture/society
Step 3: becomes isolated and lonely and turns to religion
Step 4: finds a peerbaba/spiritual leader in the local mosque and gets wowed by his infinite wisdom
Step 5: peer baba teaches the true path to salvation
Step 6: kaaboom!

Most of these young radicals may have grown up in the UK and so the above isnt entirely relevant.

Personally i havent spoken to too many of them but there are online forums where the hatred for the West, no, rather hatred for anything not fitting their view (other sects etc) is extreme.
They just seem to blabber Kuffar this, haram that, voting is haram, working for police is haram, Taliban bombing Afghan police is Jihad and so on.

[Puck]

Originally Posted by Navo
In my four years in the UK till date, I've often gotten the impression that religion is a 'culture substitute' for british-bangladeshi youth, where alienation from both their native culture and 'western' culture has led them to cling to another set of cultural values i.e. Islamic values.

Someone who embodies this 'caught between two cultures' identity is Lowkey, the Anglo-Iraqi hip hop artist. He describes himself as being an 'Englishmen amongst Arabs and an Arab amongst Englishmen'. I suppose that's the case between many of our UK Bangladeshi brethren, particularly of my generation.

Excellent observations. I should add to it that much of the disaffected youth came from families where the parents came to Britain as economic migrants, what the immigration criteria class as 'unskilled labour migrants'. It is of singular importance that the parents would often be illiterate.

[bujhee kom]

And then you have Hasan Askari...
And respect for the Bangladeshi Moslems in NYC! Fighting Terrorism from Day 1.
God bless America!
God Bless Bangladesh!
May God bring peace and nothing but LOVE on Earth!



"...I was only helping and protecting MY FELLOW MEN, another fellow human being...." - slightly changed, in my own words a bit.

http://newcentrist.wordpress.com/200...subway-attack/

[bujhee kom]

Oh also for the Six arrested in London on Terror charge, if found guilty and proven, may they burn eternally in Hell and on Earth as long as they take their last breaths.

[Rifat]

Originally Posted by bujhee kom
Oh also for the Six arrested in London on Terror charge, if found guilty and proven, may they burn eternally in Hell and on Earth as long as they take their last breaths.

Dear Bujhee Kom brother,

Please do not take this the wrong way, This is my personal Opinion.

Any human Who testified to the greatness of Allah and any human being whose forehead has touched the ground in prostration to Allah, I cannot wish for something like that. Without a doubt, Allah punishes all crimes and he is indeed the most conclusive of all judges. With that being said, I need to read through the threads to see what really happened and I just wanted to convey my thoughts!

The only persons I make this Du'a against(of this nature) is Fir'aun(Pharaoh of Egypt), Abu Lahab, Abu jahal etc...(The current oppressive president of Syria comes very very close)

And Allah knows best!

[Zeeshan]

Well that rests the case then dont it?

Idol worshippin feraun >> if found guilty terrorists.

[bujhee kom]

No, no, my dearest Rifat, you are right, I get too emotional, too excited too easily, you know, I am sorry, may Allah forgive me.

Rifat, bujhla naa, ektu beshi excited hoye ektu beshi boley feli aar ki...brain-er agey mookh shamlaitey pari na, hehehhe....Allah, amakey maaf korey diik.

[Crisis]

Were they not British Bangladeshis - the type whose parents were Bnagladeshis but they themselevs cant red write or speak Bnagla and know nothing about Bnagladesh ?

If yes, then we don't need to worry about them , they are completely different products.

[Yameen]

One has to consider the fact that over 90% of British Bangladeshis originate from Sylhet and many of them from the rural parts of this region. We all know they tend to be more devout in faith and of course there is nothing wrong with that.

Such values are brought over and are indoctrinated into the 2^nd and 3^rd generation Bangladeshis that were born and brought up in the UK. Most are brought up in the non-secular way such that most don’t benefit from integrating with mainstream British society and are limited to their ethnic ghettos with a major emphasis on the ‘Madrasa style’ education. I believe this has led to compromising with not being educated within the traditional state system (GCSE – A-Levels – University etc.) which has a more proven and rewarding path and most importantly allows one to mix and integrate and learn about different views on life as it captures almost everything from differing belief systems to the scientific approach.
Now, I am not one to judge which system is healthier but I do know there is not enough emphasis on career development when subject to the Madrasa style of education in the UK. Other than the known path, is there anything these west hating fuelled kids can do career wise? How many Doctors and Engineers have we seen as a result of this system?
Another common issue is that segments of this community in question do actually put their children through the traditional state system but again, they lack the drive to enhance themselves academically when the opportunities are there. Stats shows Bangladeshis and Pakistanis are behind academically amongst the ethnic minorities as they are more likely to leave school at 16.
I’m sure there are many other reasons but essentially this has resulted in a generation of British Bangladeshis who have generally disoriented tainted views i.e. Bangladesh is a country born from India splitting a Muslim country, the west is trying to bring down the Islamic world etc.
For me, the best way to tackle a lot of these issues is for more integration in lifestyle and education paths which one would hope result in open mindedness and the luxury of understanding how the rest of the world lives.

[F6_Turbo]

Originally Posted by Yameen
Another common issue is that segments of this community in question do actually put their children through the traditional state system but again, they lack the drive to enhance themselves academically when the opportunities are there. Stats shows Bangladeshis and Pakistanis are behind academically amongst the ethnic minorities as they are more likely to leave school at 16.

Well that's depressing to read...Think this might be the only such instance. I mean in the US, even those that struggle but want to still study further end up going to community college.

Also I know historically the Sylheti stats are true, but in the last decade I think that's changed dramatically, the non-Sylheti population has grown exponentially has it not?

[Yameen]

Originally Posted by F6_Turbo
Well that's depressing to read...Think this might be the only such instance. I mean in the US, even those that struggle but want to still study further end up going to community college.

Also I know historically the Sylheti stats are true, but in the last decade I think that's changed dramatically, the non-Sylheti population has grown exponentially has it not?

Oh absolutely, I can't imagine it to be the same for Bangladeshis living in the States and Australia as there are far more professionals across many fields and would most certainly bring up their children with the aim of fulfilling their potential as much as possible.

There are numbers of non-sylhetis coming to the UK but mainly to study and once they graduate, many go back and some stay to start a new life. Many Sylhetis however come over in large numbers mainly to work in restaurants and attend college on a part time basis and ultimately stay on to earn as much as possible and save up to start up their own curryhouse business and continue the cycle of bringing over their family members for them to do the same..

[Kabir]

Originally Posted by bujhee kom
Oh also for the Six arrested in London on Terror charge, if found guilty and proven, may they burn eternally in Hell and on Earth as long as they take their last breaths.

B_K bhai, AMEEN to this.

I see nothing wrong with wishing them the absolute worst. Allah has asked us not to judge, and I see no elements of passing judgment in your post.

The fanatics are the ones that are failing societies in the name of multiculturalism. It's unfortunate that the west gives us so much power and authority by letting us integrate with them, but there are always those few who let us down.