Several world leaders expressed their opinion on terrorism at the Munich Security Summit, and outlined their countrys counterterrorism policy. However, the most controversial of these was British Prime Minister David Camerons speech because he deliberately targeted the Muslim community. Although he stressed that terrorism is not linked exclusively to any one religion or ethnic group, yet in the same breath, he stated that the world needs to get to the root of the problem, and be absolutely clear on where the origins of these terrorist attacks lie. The British PM referred to Islamist extremism, insisting that the world must be equally clear what one means by this term, and to distinguish it from Islam he said: Islam is a religion observed peacefully and devoutly by over a billion people, while Islamist extremism is a political ideology supported by a minority. At the furthest end are those who back terrorism to promote their ultimate goal: An entire Islamist realm, governed by an interpretation of Sharia. Cameron went on with his observation that along the spectrum, one finds people who may reject violence, but who accept various parts of the extremist worldview, including real hostility towards western democracy and liberal values. He reiterated that it is vital to make the distinction between religion and political ideology, which are sometimes equated by people. They think whether someone is an extremist is dependent on how much they observe their religion. He declared that to talk about moderate Muslims, as if all devout Muslims must be extremists, is profoundly wrong. Someone can be a devout Muslim and not be an extremist since Islamist extremism and Islam are not the same thing. Having laid the basis, Cameron went on to reiterate: The threat to Europe overwhelmingly comes from young men following a distorted interpretation of Islam ready to blow themselves up and their fellow citizens. The solution recommended by him comprises a stronger UK national identity; adoption of British values by the Muslim community; opposition to segregated societies with non-British values, decrying the doctrine of state multiculturalism; and replacement of the tolerance of recent years by a more active, muscular liberalism. Cameron added: The Muslim community are showered with public money, despite doing little to combat extremism. Such groups, he said, no longer supported by the state will be prevented from spreading their message in universities and prisons. The Prime Minister may have meant well, but his policy speech at Munich has stirred a hornets nest in the UK. Cameron said young British Muslims, who found no strong and collective identity in Britain were drawn to violent Islamist ideologies. His statement partly echoed views expressed by Chancellor Angela Merkel, last October, that the current policies of multiculturalism had failed and did not focus sufficiently on integration. On the need for greater integration of Muslim minorities, Prime Minister Cameron called for an end to passive liberalism in favour of a more active, muscular liberalism. This should mean, he said, that equal rights, rule of law, freedom of speech and democracy were actively promoted against the backdrop of Islamism. The Muslims in Britain have been facing the ire of the government ever since 9/11 occurred in the US. The 7/7 bombings in which four suicide bombers, three of whom were born in the UK, killed 52 people in a 2005 attack on Londons transport system, did not help matters either. The Muslim Council of Britains Assistant Secretary General, Faisal Hanjra, expressed disappointment at the PMs comments, stating: Again it just seems the Muslim community is very much in the spotlight, being treated as part of the problem as opposed to part of the solution. Richard Howitt, member of the opposition Labour Party, has objected to Camerons use of the words and phrases like muscular and strong liberalism. According to Howitt, the attack on multiculturalism is the issue of the ideology of the extreme right, which blurs the differences between moderate and fundamentalist ideas, and in fact undermines the mutual respect and cooperation between people of different faiths. Inayat Bunglawala, of the Muslim organisations in Britain, while commenting on Camerons outburst states that they are heading to be the strong target. Even Muslims insist on clearly differentiating between extremism and Islam. Baroness Sayeeda Warsi, Britains senior most Muslim politician, who has been outspoken in warning about the spread of anti-Islamic bigotry in Britain, stated: Islamophobia [had] now crossed the threshold of middle-class respectability. The writer is a political and defence analyst.