How Big a Threat is British Islam?

Britain has a big problem with integrating Muslims. But many of the fiercest debates are within the British Muslim community itself.

Click here for all of David Frum’s blogposts from the 2010 Conservative Party conference.

I spent a lot of time Tuesday listening to discussions of British Islam and the security problems it presents. From across the Atlantic, it's easy to have a stereotyped view of who British Muslims are and what they do. Today's experience is an interesting range of counter-examples.

I had breakfast with a Muslim Labour MP and a Muslim Labour town councilor. One was religious, one secular: both passionately anti-radical, both have received death threats for standing up to religious extremists - both repeatedly re-elected with massive majorities.

I watched a speech by a Conservative party member, the head of an Islamic NGO who helped to deliver aid relief to flood victims in Pakistan.

I had a conversation in a hotel lobby with a Muslim veteran of the British army, now working on counterinsurgency policy development for the military.

I listened to a debate hosted by Policy Exchange about ideological radicalization among British Muslims featuring the Muslim head of a think tank devoted to fighting radicalism and a Lib Dem member of the House of Lords who was raised Muslim in the Middle East and who urged the new Coalition government to protest Saudi maltreatment of women.

It's not like there isn't a big problem here integrating Muslims. There is, the worst in Europe. But it's also true that you find a range of opinion among British Muslims much wider than US debates might lead you to expect.