Terrorism in Western Europe: Finland, Denmark and England Essay

Western Europe

Western Europe is a centre of recruiting terrorists from the Muslim World. However, little attention is being given to this region as far as the fight against terrorism is concerned. For instance, the United States has concentrated its focus mostly on Iraq and the Middle East crisis. The European countries seemed to have failed “to assimilate their large and growing Muslim populations in the era of globalization” (Pincus, 2005). However, the main problem seems to be arising from the Middle East. From the CIA reports, it is believed that “there are 10 million Muslims… that are not integrated into their societies” (Pincus, 2005).

Terrorism in Finland

The terrorist activity of 11^th September 2001 brought a new dawn to the world on the extent terrorism had grown and its devastating effects. The occurrence “became a watershed in international relations and initiated new thinking on security issues” (‘Terrorism and Finland’, 2004). The bombing of Madrid in 2004, for example made terrorism a real threat to the entire European Union.

Bearing in mind that that terrorism is a global challenge, “it requires international co-operation” (‘Terrorism and Finland’, 2004). Due to this, Finland also takes part in the fight against terrorism. According to a report on Terrorism and Finland (2004), there is more emphasis and strategies which are currently being put in place to fight the menace.

Terrorism in Denmark

Denmark is one of the countries in Western Europe being targeted by terrorists. There have been three terrorism incidences in a span of less than two years. The latest terrorism attempt in Denmark was “an alleged bombing plot” (Kulish, 2007) reported in September 2007. As a result, eight suspects were arrested and put under police custody. However, there are still fears of people living in and outside Denmark with the potential to carry out terrorist activities. It became a focal point for alien terrorists from the Islamic world in the new millennium following a heated newspaper report from one of the local dailies with Cartoons of Prophet Muhammad. This drew a lot of attention all over the world.

Just like France, Denmark has continued to put up vibrant measures against terrorism. There are proposals that have been submitted to Parliament which aim towards tackling terrorism head-on. According to Olsen (2005), “the proposals are quite far reaching and encompass a range of intrusions into citizen’s digital privacy”. In the proposals, authorities will have to keep vigil of the whole communication network for purposes of intelligence work. Also airline passengers will have to be screened at the point of entry and exit.

Terrorism in England

England has not been spared either in terrorist attacks. The tragic event happened on 7^th July 2005 after a bus and a series trains operating along London routes were seriously blown over by suicide bombers. More than fifty people died in the incidence (Shorrock, n.d).

Some of the measures already taken to curb the vice include “deportation and exclusion from the United Kingdom of those advocating hatred and violence” (Anon, 2006). Also laws have been passed to deal with those who propagate terrorism indirectly. Websites which are operated by extremists are also being blacklisted for necessary steps to be taken. Organizations and book selling points that enhance terrorism are all under critical watch.

Conclusion

As it can be seen from the above incidences of terrorist attacks, terrorism remains to be a big challenge facing the world today. The case study of Finland, Denmark and England is just a glimpse of the terror shocks faced by countries in Western Europe. The international community for instance United Nations and European Union continue to play significant role to control terrorism. Some of the measures already taken include screening of airline passengers at destination points, poverty eradication, good governance and monitoring communication networks of terrorist based movements.

Reference

Anon. (2006). Blair advocates outlawing terrorist instigation in UK. Web.

Kulish, N. (2007). New Terrorism Case Confirms That Denmark Is a Target. Web.

Olsen, N. (2005). New anti-terrorism measures in Denmark. Web.

Pincus, W. (2005). Don’t Ignore Western Europe, Terrorism Expert Warns U.S. Web.

Shorrock, M. (N.d). After the Bombs – How Terrorism has Affected Travelers – London, England. Web.

‘Terrorism and Finland’ (2004).Reports submitted to the Government since 2001. Web.