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Aberdeen man’s Islamic war link?

Demonstrators chant pro-al Qaida-inspired Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isis) slogans.
Demonstrators chant pro-al Qaida-inspired Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isis) slogans.

It’s incredible to read how many British Muslims are fighting in Iraq and Syria, but now it is reported that a man brought up in Aberdeen features in a recruitment video for Islamic militant group Isis which has been viewed around the world.

The man was named locally as Raqib and in a 13-minute video, There Is No Life Without Jihad, he urges other British Muslims to join their war.

It is believed two other fighters in the video are from Cardiff. The footage was shown after militants led by Isis made startling advances while fighting through Iraq.

Why should we be concerned? After all, this is a long way from home, you might say.

But it was only last week that David Cameron was warning about the threat to the UK from Islamic terrorists.

Just as worrying is the threat of so-called radicalisation of Britons overseas, who join groups like Isis, and the possibility of them coming home to cause problems here.

We have to keep things in perspective. It cannot and must not be assumed that this is a reflection of British society. Mainstream British Muslim organisations are quick to denounce and distance themselves from such extremist activities.

They have a crucial role to play, naturally, in helping to prevent young people from being radicalised.

The suggestion of an Aberdeen link will shock many. How can someone step from the north-east into the cauldrons of Iraq and Syria, they will ask. But the effects of radical influence on some young and vulnerable British Muslims can happen anywhere in the UK and is a phenomenon that shows no sign of abating.

It might be a long way away, but the fact that MI5 is supposedly tracking an estimated 500 British jihadists in Iraq and Syria as a top priority shows how worried the government is right now.