British Prime Minister David Cameron speaks to members of the local community during a visit to Luton, north of London, on Monday. — AFP
British Prime Minister David Cameron speaks to members of the local community during a visit to Luton, north of London, on Monday. — AFP
British Prime Minister David Cameron unveiled a new strategy on Monday to combat extremism, saying the battle was “perhaps the defining one of this century”, but his proposals were condemned by Muslims as demonising their communities and set to fail.
The counter-extremism strategy has been promised by Mr Cameron’s government for months, designed primarily to counter the ideology promoted by Islamic State militants, Al Qaeda and other Islamists which the authorities say can lead young Britons onto a path of violence. “Subversive, well-organised and sophisticated in their methods, Islamist extremists don’t just threaten our security, they jeopardise all that we’ve built together — our successful multi-racial, multi-faith democracy,” Mr Cameron wrote on his Facebook website. “So we have to confront them wherever we find them.”
The plans are designed to target all hate groups, including far-right organisations, but they were met with immediate opposition from Islamic groups who variously described it as “war on Muslims” or containing “McCarthyist” undertones. The Muslim Council of Britain (MCB), the country’s largest umbrella Islamic organisation, said that while terrorism was a real threat, the government’s strategy was based on poor analysis and risked alienating those whose support it ne-eded. “Whether it is in mo-sques, education or charities, the strategy will reinforce perceptions that all aspects of Muslim life mu-st undergo a ‘compliance’ test to prove our loyalty to this country,” said Shuja Shafi, the MCB’s secretary-general. Muslim gro-ups are not alone in their scepticism. Some members of Parliament in Mr Cameron’s own party are uneasy at the measures, while experts say the message of militants should be challenged not banned.
