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'''Londonistan''' (Arabic |
'''Londonistan''' (Arabic equivalent ليدنس or the transliteration لندنستان) is an a [[pejorative]] [[sobriquet]] referring to the [[United Kingdom|British]] capital of [[London]]. The variation '''Londinistan''' is also in use. The term refers to the freedom in which [[Islamists]] operated in London. Originating in [[France]], it is commonly used in the French press.{{ref|BBC2}}{{ref|BBC3}} |
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==Origin== |
==Origin== |
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Revision as of 11:47, 18 August 2008
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Londonistan (Arabic equivalent ليدنس or the transliteration لندنستان) is an a pejorative sobriquet referring to the British capital of London. The variation Londinistan is also in use. The term refers to the freedom in which Islamists operated in London. Originating in France, it is commonly used in the French press.[1][2]
Origin
These terms originated in 1995 from French counter-terrorism agents[3], as well as by the governments of Pakistan and Saudi Arabia[verification needed], because of the number of exiled Islamist groups that established political headquarters in the city, from which they may seek to overthrow governments they consider oppressive or heretical, or plan terror attacks on other European countries[verification needed].
Britain's attractions for Islamist dissidents are said to include its historical commitment to freedom of speech and perceptions that victims of political repression receive asylum, access to temporary accommodation and some monetary support[verification needed]. 13,026 asylum seekers were being accommodated in London on 25 March 2005, according to statistics from the London Asylum Seekers Consortium.[4]
The British government's perceived unwillingness to prosecute or extradite terrorist suspects provoked tensions with countries in which attacks occurred. Allegations of a British policy of appeasement of Islamists were made and denied; should such a policy have existed, it could no longer be considered a success.[verification needed]
The word is a portmanteau of the British capital and the Persian suffix -stan, meaning land.
Examples of usage in the Arabic press
- at Al-Arabiya, 10 July 2005
- at Ash-Sharq al-Awsat, 8 May 2006
See also
- Islamism in London
- -stan
- Londonistan (book)
- Londonstani
- Eurabia
- Islam in the United Kingdom
- Bahrain Freedom Movement
References
- ^ What's the risk to London?
- ^ European press review, 6 March 2006
- ^ European press review, 8 July, 2005
- ^ Islamophobia Awards
- ^ London Asylum Seekers Consortium, 2005. "http://www.alg.gov.uk/doc.asp?doc=11960&cat=1035 Asylum seekers supported by London local authorities"
External links
- Sean O'Neill Why France lived in fear of 'Londonistan', Daily Telegraph
- London Review of Books’ In the Streets of Londonistan
- New Statesman’s Why the French call us Londonistan
- Stephen Ulph on Londonistan for Global Terrorism Analysis
- For a Decade, London Thrived as a Busy Crossroads of Terror, New York Times, July 10, 2005
- Template:Fr icon Les limites du cynisme britannique (the limits of British cynicism), Le Figaro, July 18, 2005
- 'Londonistan' no longer rings true, The Guardian, July 17, 2005
- Why Muslims reject British values by A. Sivanandan, published in The Observer, October 16, 2005
- Guilty: the cleric who preached murder as a religious dutyThe Guardian, February 8 2006
- Hate Demo Over CartoonThe Sun