ISLAMABAD: The first British Muslim minister, Shahid Malik said on Sunday that Pakistani origin of one of the terrorists involved in the recent London attacks had nothing to do with his evil act and urged the UK to look inward for tackling the challenge posed by extremism.

“For far too long in the UK, we have often looked abroad to ascribe some kind of blame for the terrorist atrocities, we have had to endure but sadly the truth is much closer to home. The stark reality is that our challenges stem from and exist within our own country, among our own people, aided by modern technology,” said Mr Malik, who served as justice minister, interior minister, international development minister and local government minister under the administration of prime ministers Gordon Brown and Tony Blair.

He said that in this age of instant global communications and internet, it was well known that “often the grooming and the brainwashing of individuals is carried out online, and it is the big global technology companies who have to accept a degree of responsibility for allowing their platforms to be exploited to unleash terror in communities, regions and countries around the world.”

“It’s too easy to blame other countries but the fact that Khurram Butt’s family originate from Pakistan is irrelevant to the grotesque and barbaric attacks he carried out in London on innocent peace-loving citizens,” he said here.

Mr Malik warned against linking terrorism with religion: “In the case of Pakistan, the facts speak for themselves; very few countries have made the sacrifices and suffered the loss of lives that tragically Pakistan has experienced,” he said.

“Pakistan’s fight against extremism and terrorism has led to a huge toll with thousands of Pakistanis citizens, armed forces, security personnel and police being martyred and paying the ultimate price.”

He said it must be remembered that evil existed in all walks of life as Timothy McVeigh, who butchered 168 American citizens in Oklahoma, did not represent Christianity, in the same way that these vile creatures who killed inn­o­­cent people in Manchester and London did not represent Islam. They both represent evil and evil had no religion.

He said: “Today Muslims across the world must unite in sending a strong message not just by condemning extre­mism and terrorism but confronting it wherever it rears its evil head, whether that is in our homes, in our shops, our workplaces, our colleges or online.”

Mr Malik said that Muslims were not responsible for the actions of these wicked individuals, adding Muslims had a responsibility to redouble their efforts not only to save innocent and precious human lives but rescue their religion from the clutches of “twisted individuals who follow a truly perverted interpretation of our beautiful faith, Islam”.

Published in Dawn, June 12th, 2017