Time to close borders to those who are returning from Syria

[LemonySnug]

I hope that politicians finally start to understand the extent of the threats posed by those who have been to Syria. Hopefully, their British/French/German/Dutch etc. passports are being taken away and they are being denied access. If they only have the one passport, I hope they will now be charged with treason and locked up for the rest of their life.

I totally agree with Salman Rushdie who yesterday said:

“Religion, a mediaeval form of unreason, when combined with modern weaponry becomes a real threat to our freedoms. This religious totalitarianism has caused a deadly mutation in the heart of Islam and we see the tragic consequences in Paris today. I stand with Charlie Hebdo, as we all must, to defend the art of satire, which has always been a force for liberty and against tyranny, dishonesty and stupidity. ‘Respect for religion’ has become a code phrase meaning ‘fear of religion.’ Religions, like all other ideas, deserve criticism, satire, and, yes, our fearless disrespect.”

I hope European mainstream politicians are finally waking up, if not, the far right may become the new mainstream and surely that is in nobody's interest?

What Rushdie said is not what you are saying.

We can't close "our" borders to British citizens. They live here just as much as you or I.

If they've committed a crime then they need to be put on trial and imprisoned.

Rushdie's quote doesn't in anyway advocate the closing of borders and the removal of borders. To read that into his statement is disingenuous.

So, the prospect of these newly stateless citizens roaming the globe, not able to return to the country of their birth doesn't stike you as in any way dangerous?

If there's evidence of terrorist activity covered by the law in this country charge them and by all means hand out lengthy sentences, but what you propose is contrary to any concept of justice and sheer idiocy in practical terms.

If people have dual nationality then you can most certainly take British nationality (or Dutch, French, whatever) away. If they have only one nationality then this is not possible and they should in my view be locked up for the rest of their life.

Salman Rushdie's quote is very relevant, he makes clear that it is time to stand up against idiocy. He clearly points out how dangerous these people are, few people will no better than him.

So where do you reckon they will go when they cant get back into Britain?

Forge or lose their passports and turn up as refugees in France, or Finland? How does that help?

If these people have been "brought up" in Britain, should not Britain take responsibility for the behaviour of its citizens rather than foist the problem on other countries?

Rushdie is talking sense.

You arnt op. Wouldn't you rather these people were put on trial here and jailed if needed rather than roaming around the world getting more radicalised?

The world is a very small place. We arnt in a bubbie here you know.

Threats are not caused by people who have been to Syria. Threats are caused by terrorists.

people like Alan Henning?

You think British citizens should be imprisoned for life just because they've been to Syria. Are you on glue?

OP is Teresa May, and I Claim My Five Pounds

What about people who went to Syria as humanitarian helpers? Should we ban doctors and nurses etc from returning to their own country - Britain?
What about people who went to fight and were totally sickened by what they saw so want to return to their home country?
Finally why should Britain pay to put people on trial or in jail if they have committed crimes abroad, if British people committed crimes in Syria let Syria deal with it not our taxes.

Well there is the thorny question of evidence and whether you can make a charge of treason stick, but don't let anything like the law or evidence encumber you.

Where in the above quotation does Rushdie advocate the removal of passports or lifetime sentences and treason charges? He is making a (wholly fair) point about the way religion should be held up to scrutiny just like any other belief system. He doesn't say 'and therefore we should lock people up for life and/or deprive them of their citizenship.'

The fallacy of your evidence is so transparent that it would get you a bollocking if you'd done it in a first year undergraduate essay.

Also, the Salman Rushdie quote refers to the Charlie Hebdo murders. The terrorists involved claimed they were from the Yemeni Al-Qaeda so arresting/imprisoning/denying access from those suspected to be linked to Isis in Syria wouldn't have made any difference anyway.

The Government is, as part of the Counter-terrorism and Security Bill, proposing to have some control over people returning from certain countries whom they suspect to have been involved in terrorist activity.

The Bill includes a provision to implement Temporary exclusion orders

Which reflects your first paragraph. As others have pointed out, your first para doesn't really match the third one though...

They should be charged with war crimes and never released unless Syria finds itself in a position to prosecute them in which case they should be handed over to face the consequences of the hell they created there. Death penalty included.

Unfortunately they'll be released to plot the same violence here because European political establishments are on a suicide mission to show everyone how 'tolerant' they are of the utterly and disgustingly intolerable. Genocide, religious cleansing, sex slavery..... that's our future too if this religious insanity nonsense isn't stopped. But we're not even allowed to identify the problem, that would be 'racist' and 'islamaphobic'.

Murderous religious fundamentalism needs to be treated for what it is and it's followers treated for how they are. Religious nuts who don't have citizenship shouldn't receive it and should be returned to their own countries, those who've been given it should have it removed and returned to their country of origin and those who are born here prosecuted for any hate crimes they commit in service of their religion.

All Saudi and Qatari money to these extremist preachers needs to be stopped immediately. No funding of any religious buildings, preachers, schools etc should be allowed from outside the country and everything needs to be monitored.

I don't believe that'll happen though. We'll be facing the problems that Syria faced several years ago before the blind, deaf and stupid politically correct establishment even recognises that there's a problem. Hopefully we won't lose like those poor people did.