KateLM wrote:I hear tonight that the parents of two jihadis are furious as they informed the police of their sons involvement, the men returned to UK and have now been given a lengthy prison sentence. I think they thought that by giving the police information their son would be treated leniently.
This is where it gets difficult. They got the heavier sentences of 12 years or so because they were pictured brandishing weapons, and I believe they found traces of explosives on their clothing ....
The West Midlands Police have said that the families should have acted and alerted them before the jihadists went out to Syria so the authorities could intervene. Implication, they'd only have got 4 years or so .....
I guess it makes you wonder, do we have, as a nation, a right to say to any minority community: this is our stance, our credo, OK you are not of our persuasion but while you are living amongst us as a minority, you have to rigorously submit to our culture and moral values? Most of us would probably say yes, but we cannot enforce this principle on minorities without being called oppressors, or a police state. And of course the minorities, knowing the hard line we will take, will not cooperate with the authorities.
Personally, it would have been a whole lot easier if we'd just refused them permission to return to this country ......