Film-maker Phil Rees launches a staunch defence in today's MediaGuardian Monday print section of his documentary for Channel 4's current affairs strand Dispatches tonight, in which a radical Muslim voices his support for terrorism and justifies the July 7 London bombings.
Rees argues that "a government policy (eagerly endorsed by the media) that denies a credible arena for the views of people like him contributes to, rather than reduces, the risk of a violent attack on Britain."
He concludes:
"A policy of excluding extremists is not working. Bush's dictum that 'you are either with us or the terrorists' is being applied here and the results are simply pushing more young people into the terrorists' camp. MI5 admits monitoring at least 2,000 British Muslims who are 'actively promoting violence'.
"It was with some irony that I recently watched a 1997 interview with Blair, after he had invited Adams and Martin McGuinness to Downing Street. 'If you are at least talking to someone, you have . . . some chance of something better emerging.'
"Journalists need to present the views of radical Muslims in a way that does not push them toward further violence. Journalism has a duty to reflect and not condemn the views of people such as Abu Muhammed. In denying them a voice, it is contributing to the radicalisation of British Muslims."
