The British government is “stoking up” its ideological battle against the influence of hatred by rushing through a hostile definition of extremism, Labour and Conservative politicians have told The National.
With the Israel-Gaza war creating an intense atmosphere in Britain, there has been a concern over the rise of radicalism among the hard-right and in pro-Palestinian marches.
As a result, the Conservative government will introduce a new definition of extremism on Thursday, as well as potentially blacklisting a number of groups, possibly including the Muslim Council of Britain.
The move comes during a week of focus on religious issues, after the release of a government report on blasphemy on Monday and the announcement of £117 million ($150 million) funding to help protect mosques and community centres.
The report is being led by Michael Gove, the Communities Secretary, who will make a statement to Parliament on Thursday outlining the new official definition of extremism.
In the coming days government ministers are expected to work on the document in which they will name allegedly extremist organisations.
Unacceptable extremism
Asked by The National of the rationale behind the definition, the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said there had been “an unacceptable rise of extremist activity” and it was the government’s duty “to ensure it has the tools it needs to tackle this ever-evolving threat”.
“This new, more precise definition will be used by government departments and officials to ensure that they are not advertently providing a platform, funding or legitimacy to groups or individuals who attempt to advance extremist ideology,” he added.
He said the new definition would be the “first in a series of new measures to counter extremism”.
But the move has been condemned by a number of MPs spoken to by The National.
The centre-left Labour MP Jon Cruddas said the policy was a political manoeuvre to “open up the culture wars” with Labour in an attempt to embarrass the main opposition party ahead of this year’s general election.
“If they are going to spread the extremist net wide, they will cause all sorts of trouble, especially within their own party over issues of liberty and tolerance,” he said of the Conservatives.
He added the government was “rushing this through with no consultation”, which could “stoke up the situation”.
“This is fraught with difficulties and not a good use of the government’s time,” he added.
River to sea
Mr Gove’s definition will allow the government, as well as institutions such as universities and councils, to ban engagement with Islamist extremist and far-right groups, changing the current Prevent counter-terrorist policy.
“The definition will replace the existing Prevent definition and give practitioners more specificity on the ideologies, behaviour and groups of concern to support vital counter-radicalisation work,” Mr Gove told The Sunday Telegraph. “For all state institutions, this definition and a set of engagement principles should act as a guide.”
One reason behind the move has been pro-Palestinians demonstrators' use of the phrase “from the river to the sea” that suggests the Israeli state should be erased. Mr Gove described this as “an extremist position, which intimidates and leads to hate” as well as anti-Semitism.
But his plans have also been questioned by right-wing Conservative MP David Jones, who said he was “very, very reluctant to ban people from saying things”.
“Michael Gove has said he doesn't want to interfere with freedom of speech so given that that is his intention, he needs to set out in some detail as to how that's going to be achieved,” he added.
Evolving threat
Former front bench Labour MP Afzal Khan said the move was “further stoking the culture wars” at a time when hate crimes against Muslims had trebled since October 7.
“The government is creating policies which would potentially lead to incitement of more Islamophobia,” he warned.
Mr Khan said the government was also creating an unnecessary confrontation as “a definition of extremism is not something anyone is asking for” and there has “not been a problem with it”, as the police have said the main threat in today's Britain is from the far right.
Protest outside UK Parliament calls for Gaza ceasefire - in pictures
Other workplace saving schemes
- The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
- Dubai’s savings retirement scheme for foreign employees working in the emirate’s government and public sector came into effect in 2022.
- National Bonds unveiled a Golden Pension Scheme in 2022 to help private-sector foreign employees with their financial planning.
- In April 2021, Hayah Insurance unveiled a workplace savings plan to help UAE employees save for their retirement.
- Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based investment manager, has launched a fund that will allow UAE private companies to offer employees investment returns on end-of-service benefits.
More on Quran memorisation:
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre turbo 4-cyl
Transmission: eight-speed auto
Power: 190bhp
Torque: 300Nm
Price: Dh169,900
On sale: now
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Silent Hill f
Publisher: Konami
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Rating: 4.5/5
1,000 Books to Read Before You Die: A Life-Changing List
James Mustich, Workman
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
1.
|
United States
|
2.
|
China
|
3.
|
UAE
|
4.
|
Japan
|
5
|
Norway
|
6.
|
Canada
|
7.
|
Singapore
|
8.
|
Australia
|
9.
|
Saudi Arabia
|
10.
|
South Korea
|
Business Insights
- Canada and Mexico are significant energy suppliers to the US, providing the majority of oil and natural gas imports
- The introduction of tariffs could hinder the US's clean energy initiatives by raising input costs for materials like nickel
- US domestic suppliers might benefit from higher prices, but overall oil consumption is expected to decrease due to elevated costs
How to help
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200
THE SPECS
Engine: 1.5-litre, four-cylinder turbo
Transmission: seven-speed dual clutch automatic
Power: 169bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: Dh54,500
On sale: now
Temple numbers
Expected completion: 2022
Height: 24 meters
Ground floor banquet hall: 370 square metres to accommodate about 750 people
Ground floor multipurpose hall: 92 square metres for up to 200 people
First floor main Prayer Hall: 465 square metres to hold 1,500 people at a time
First floor terrace areas: 2,30 square metres
Temple will be spread over 6,900 square metres
Structure includes two basements, ground and first floor
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Your rights as an employee
The government has taken an increasingly tough line against companies that fail to pay employees on time. Three years ago, the Cabinet passed a decree allowing the government to halt the granting of work permits to companies with wage backlogs.
The new measures passed by the Cabinet in 2016 were an update to the Wage Protection System, which is in place to track whether a company pays its employees on time or not.
If wages are 10 days late, the new measures kick in and the company is alerted it is in breach of labour rules. If wages remain unpaid for a total of 16 days, the authorities can cancel work permits, effectively shutting off operations. Fines of up to Dh5,000 per unpaid employee follow after 60 days.
Despite those measures, late payments remain an issue, particularly in the construction sector. Smaller contractors, such as electrical, plumbing and fit-out businesses, often blame the bigger companies that hire them for wages being late.
The authorities have urged employees to report their companies at the labour ministry or Tawafuq service centres — there are 15 in Abu Dhabi.
In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis