British Home Secretary Suella Braverman has been urged to bring mosques into greater focus in her review of the government’s flagship counter-terrorism programme in order to to reach more people who may be at risk of radicalisation.
Labour MP Khalid Mahmood said a strategy of outreach to smaller faith groups over larger ones means officials have a limited reach in their efforts to educate parents whose teenagers have been groomed online by extremists.
In an interview with The National, the opposition politician said a shake-up of the Prevent programme is long overdue, particularly to address the scourge of young Muslims across the UK who are being “alienated” from their families.
Officials in the Home Office are in the process of reviewing the framework of counter-extremism. The flagship Prevent programme aims to safeguard and support people vulnerable to radicalisation. It forms one of four elements of Contest, the government’s counter-terrorism strategy which has foiled more than 30 terror plots in the past five years.
An official report by William Shawcross recently concluded that in its existing form Prevent is protecting the malign activities of some potential terrorists rather than shielding the British public from violence.
'Young people are told to question their parents'
Mr Mahmood, MP for Birmingham Perry Barr, said that having spoken to Muslim parents, he believes there is a huge demand for information from officials on what signs to look out for in youngsters falling prey to the clutches of extremist individuals or entities.
“There’s a big issue with young people disconnecting from their parents,” he said. “There’s an element of people who are doing it who have extremist views, [although] most of it’s maybe non-violent extremism.
“[Prevent] has got to be much more oriented towards the mainstream Muslim community. The more we deal with smaller organisations the more difficult and isolated it becomes. Smaller organisations may do some very good work but they don’t have the spread.
“We also need to get schools to engage with local mosques.”
Mr Shawcross, who previously headed the Charity Commission, found that the programme was focused on “protecting those referred into Prevent from harm” instead of “protecting the public”.
In her update of the strategy, Ms Braverman will take into account the second volume of the Manchester Arena Inquiry, set to be published next week. Twenty-three people were killed in the May 2017 attack carried out by an Islamist extremist suicide bomber.
“The government will now review the recommendations in their entirety and publish the Independent Reviewer's report and the government’s response in due course,” a Home Office spokesman told The National.
“Prevent will remain a vital tool for safeguarding against radicalisation. It has already changed and saved the lives of individuals from all walks of life, with more than 3,000 people supported through the Channel programme, and will continue to build on this success going forwards.
Alongside the Home Office review, the government is also poised to shelve a plan to establish an official definition of Islamophobia. Having announced the launch of a process to establish a working definition of Islamophobia in May 2019, campaigners have expressed dismay at the lack of action three years later.
Yet many in government argue that previous attempts by different bodies to define Muslim hatred have lacked a widespread consensus.
'Severe lack of effort to eradicate Islamophobia'
The All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims defines Islamophobia as being “rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.”
But the government has not recognised this, or any other, definition of hatred towards Muslims.
“We remain committed to stamping out anti-Muslim hatred and all forms of religious prejudice and we will outline our next steps in due course,” a representative of the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities said.
Mr Mahmood said a clear definition should be adopted that would strengthen efforts to tackle hatred of Muslims.
He cited Boris Johnson’s 2018 article in the Telegraph in which he compared Muslim women wearing the niqab to “letterboxes” and “bank robbers” as an example of how people are given free rein to express questionable views towards the Islamic community with impunity.
In the three weeks after his comments were published instances of Islamophobia soared by 375 per cent, according to Tell Mama. The group which supports victims of anti-Muslim hatred said 42 per cent of offline Islamophobic incident reported in the three weeks after the article was published “directly referenced Boris Johnson and/or the language used in his column”.
“I think there should be a clear term of Muslim hatred and that term should be based on purely if somebody who’s Muslim is disadvantaged in terms of services, in terms of employment or directly experiences discrimination. That should be dealt with by the law,” Mr Mahmood said.
“There is no definition for the police to go in and prosecute somebody so what’s the point in having a definition that you can’t do anything with?”
“What we do in [Parliament] is we make laws every day. So what’s the point in having a definition which doesn’t define law?
Terror attacks in Paris, November 13, 2015
- At 9.16pm, three suicide attackers killed one person outside the Atade de France during a foootball match between France and Germany
- At 9.25pm, three attackers opened fire on restaurants and cafes over 20 minutes, killing 39 people
- Shortly after 9.40pm, three other attackers launched a three-hour raid on the Bataclan, in which 1,500 people had gathered to watch a rock concert. In total, 90 people were killed
- Salah Abdeslam, the only survivor of the terrorists, did not directly participate in the attacks, thought to be due to a technical glitch in his suicide vest
- He fled to Belgium and was involved in attacks on Brussels in March 2016. He is serving a life sentence in France
SERIES SCHEDULE
First Test, Galle International Stadium
July 26-30
Second Test, Sinhalese Sports Club Ground
August 3-7
Third Test, Pallekele International Cricket Stadium
August 12-16
First ODI, Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium
August 20
Second ODI, Pallekele International Cricket Stadium
August 24
Third ODI, Pallekele International Cricket Stadium
August 27
Fourth ODI, R Premadasa Stadium
August 31
Fifth ODI, R Premadasa Stadium
September 3
T20, R Premadasa Stadium
September 6
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Groom and Two Brides
Director: Elie Semaan
Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla
Rating: 3/5
PROFILE OF INVYGO
Started: 2018
Founders: Eslam Hussein and Pulkit Ganjoo
Based: Dubai
Sector: Transport
Size: 9 employees
Investment: $1,275,000
Investors: Class 5 Global, Equitrust, Gulf Islamic Investments, Kairos K50 and William Zeqiri
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
THREE POSSIBLE REPLACEMENTS
Khalfan Mubarak
The Al Jazira playmaker has for some time been tipped for stardom within UAE football, with Quique Sanchez Flores, his former manager at Al Ahli, once labelling him a “genius”. He was only 17. Now 23, Mubarak has developed into a crafty supplier of chances, evidenced by his seven assists in six league matches this season. Still to display his class at international level, though.
Rayan Yaslam
The Al Ain attacking midfielder has become a regular starter for his club in the past 15 months. Yaslam, 23, is a tidy and intelligent player, technically proficient with an eye for opening up defences. Developed while alongside Abdulrahman in the Al Ain first-team and has progressed well since manager Zoran Mamic’s arrival. However, made his UAE debut only last December.
Ismail Matar
The Al Wahda forward is revered by teammates and a key contributor to the squad. At 35, his best days are behind him, but Matar is incredibly experienced and an example to his colleagues. His ability to cope with tournament football is a concern, though, despite Matar beginning the season well. Not a like-for-like replacement, although the system could be adjusted to suit.
Match info
Costa Rica 0
Serbia 1
Kolarov (56')
The five pillars of Islam
Four motivational quotes from Alicia's Dubai talk
“The only thing we need is to know that we have faith. Faith and hope in our own dreams. The belief that, when we keep going we’re going to find our way. That’s all we got.”
“Sometimes we try so hard to keep things inside. We try so hard to pretend it’s not really bothering us. In some ways, that hurts us more. You don’t realise how dishonest you are with yourself sometimes, but I realised that if I spoke it, I could let it go.”
“One good thing is to know you’re not the only one going through it. You’re not the only one trying to find your way, trying to find yourself, trying to find amazing energy, trying to find a light. Show all of yourself. Show every nuance. All of your magic. All of your colours. Be true to that. You can be unafraid.”
“It’s time to stop holding back. It’s time to do it on your terms. It’s time to shine in the most unbelievable way. It’s time to let go of negativity and find your tribe, find those people that lift you up, because everybody else is just in your way.”
The%20Woman%20King%20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Gina%20Prince-Bythewood%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Viola%20Davis%2C%20Thuso%20Mbedu%2C%20Sheila%20Atim%2C%20Lashana%20Lynch%2C%20John%20Boyega%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The bio
Favourite food: Japanese
Favourite car: Lamborghini
Favourite hobby: Football
Favourite quote: If your dreams don’t scare you, they are not big enough
Favourite country: UAE
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