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British Patriotism
17 December 2003Much debate around the legislation known as the Patriot Acts has focussed on whether they will lead to civil liberties violations. But a story about the Patriot Act's British counterpart, the Terrorism Act, and its enforcement lead to another question: Will such anti-terrorism laws breach the wall between church and state, in practice if not in word? Yesterday The Revealer brought a report from the British Guardian on a Guantanamo-like prison within the city lines of London; now, from that same paper (and reported by Hugh Muir) comes a first-hand account from a British Muslim man arrested on December 2nd and since released: "'They put me in the prostrate position we adopt when we pray,' he said. 'They started laughing and asking, "Where is your God now?" ' " The Revealer wonders if He's in your hometown -- is the Patriot Act being enforced on your beat? Is the law coming down along religious lines?
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