Dirty War

BBC TV's "Dirty War" programme last night was brilliant. The dramatisation of a "dirty bomb" attack on the City of London not only showed how woefully unprepared the country is for such a possible scenario of horror, it also presented the mindset of radical Islamist militants very well without damning all Muslims. Essentially a disaster preparedness film and a warning wrapped up in an engaging package for mass-market consumption, "Dirty War" was researched by BBC Current Affairs, and the time (and money) invested in getting the detail right were evident.

The best thought line in the programme came from a captured bomber under interrogation, who, when confronted with the idea that his deadly crime would result in retaliation and Muslim deaths, says: "We expect your resistance. It unites us and divides you."

The post-film discussion was disappointing, however. The questions and comments from the audience were poor, and the phone-in questions were even worse -- just ill-informed silliness for the most part. Or perhaps the public questions showed just how ill-prepared the country is: if citizens cannot even formulate the right questions; how can politicians be expected to come up with the right answers?

Accusations of anti-Muslim bias were particularly off-the-mark. "Why did the terrorists have to be Muslims?" one audience participant asked. Well, it's hardly the Mormons who have been carrying out suicidal mass murder lately, eh?

The Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) representative on the discussion panel did not think the programme had shown anti-Muslim bias, and he pointed to the positive role of one of the key police investigators, a Muslim character. He might have also noted the very sympathetic grass in the film, another Muslim.

One good criticism the MCB rep made about the drama, however was the absence of Muslim victims in the crowded streets after the bomb had gone off. He's right: it's important to show that Islamofascists kill and injure Muslims with their indiscriminate public bombs, too. Look at JI's recent attack in Jakarta: in that one, they only killed locals (mostly Muslims), and not one Australian, their intended target.