Londonistan (term)

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For other uses, see Londonistan.

Londonistan (Arabic spelling لندنستان) is an a pejorative sobriquet referring to the British capital of London. The variation Londinistan is also in use. The term refers to the freedom in which Islamists operated in London. Originating in France, it is commonly used in the French press.^[1]^[2]

1 Origin
2 Examples of usage in the Arabic press
3 See also
4 References
5 External links

[edit] Origin

These terms originated in 1995 from French counter-terrorism agents^[3], as well as by the governments of Pakistan and Saudi Arabia^{[verification needed]}, because of the number of exiled Islamist groups that established political headquarters in the city, from which they may seek to overthrow governments they consider oppressive or heretical, or plan terror attacks on other European countries^{[verification needed]}.

Britain's attractions for Islamist dissidents are said to include its historical commitment to freedom of speech and perceptions that victims of political repression receive asylum, access to temporary accommodation and some monetary support^{[verification needed]}. 13,026 asylum seekers were being accommodated in London on 25 March 2005, according to statistics from the London Asylum Seekers Consortium.^[4]

The British government's perceived unwillingness to prosecute or extradite terrorist suspects provoked tensions with countries in which attacks occurred. Allegations of a British policy of appeasement of Islamists were made and denied; should such a policy have existed, it could no longer be considered a success.^{[verification needed]}

The word is a portmanteau of the British capital and the Persian suffix -stan, meaning land.