Minister changes 'outrageous' speech

A Government minister has backed down from a controversial speech about terrorism after condemnation from British Muslims.

Foreign Office minister Denis MacShane toned down a speech after community leaders branded his comments "outrageous" and "disgraceful", after 27 people died in two bomb blasts in Istanbul, Turkey.

But he stood by his most inflammatory comments in which he told Muslims they must be stronger in their condemnation of terrorism.

Mr MacShane had planned to tell British Muslims they had to make a choice between the "British way" of political dialogue and Islamic terrorism.

His speech was reported in advance after it was distributed by his office and led to criticism that he risked dividing the community. He also spoke to the Foreign Office. But he insisted he was not ordered to back track.

When he did deliver the speech in his Rotherham constituency, Mr MacShane said elected and community leaders of British Muslims had to make a choice.

"It is the democratic, rule-of-law, if you like the British, American or Turkish way, based on political dialogue and non-violent protest like the one in London yesterday. Or it is the way of the terrorist against which the whole democratic world is uniting."

He welcomed the repeated condemnation by Muslim leaders of the suicide bombers.

He added: "We need also to move away from talk of martyrs and to make clear that jihads are no more to be endorsed or supported than BNP thugs who think that using violence against non-white Britons is politically acceptable."

But he did not change a crucial passage in which he called for "clearer, stronger language" that there is no future for any Muslim cause anywhere in the world that supports the use of political violence.

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