Dr. Wafik Moustafa, Chairman of the British Arab Network, has welcomed Prime Minister David Cameron’s new five-year strategy to combat extremism in an interview with Sky News Arabia.

Dr Moustafa said:

“I welcome Prime Minister David Cameron’s new five-year strategy to combat extremism and commend him for attempting to implement a much needed comprehensive strategy. It is absolutely necessary to confront  the perverted and twisted ideology that extremists propogate through an effective counter narrative. Hate preachers who brainwash young people must be taken to task. It is right to seek to embolden the Muslim community and improve integration. The British Arab Network is ready to play its role as a civil society organisation in helping to combat extremism.”

 

PM outlines his five-year strategy to tackle subversive doctrine and defeat extremism

Jamie Grierson  20 July 2015 The Guardian www.theguardian.com

An ideology that at its furthest end seeks to destroy nation states to invent its own barbaric realm. That – in the words of the prime minister, David Cameron – is what defines Islamist extremism.

Defeating extremism is the “struggle of our generation”, Cameron said on Monday, as he outlined four pillars of a five-year strategy in tackling the “subversive” doctrine.

Here is a breakdown of the counter-extremism strategy:

Confronting the ideology

Cameron trumpeted Britain’s liberal values as the “strongest weapon” for combating Islamist extremism but also said more must be done to deglamorise the cause, especially Islamic State.

The prime minister said the government would work with people who understand what life is like under Isis to explain to young and vulnerable people the brutal reality of its ideology.

Syrian, Iraqi and Kurdish communities will be given platforms from which to speak out against the carnage Isis is conducting in their countries, he said.

Cameron said specific deradicalisation programmes would be set up – although he did not specify how this would differ from Channel, the government’s deradicalisation project under its Prevent strategy.

The prime minister also set his sights on internet companies, hitting out at firms for doing too little to tackle extremism online.

“When it comes to doing what’s right in the fight against terrorism, we too often hear that it’s all too difficult.

Tackle the violent and non-violent

The prime minister said the new strategy would take steps to confront groups and organisations that might not advocate violence but do promote extremism.

Cameron pledged to introduce “narrowly targeted powers” to tackle hate preachers and cult leaders who promote extremist views and material.

The media watchdog, Ofcom, would also be strengthened to give it powers to take action against foreign channels that broadcast hate preachers, he said.

The prime minister said he would bring forward further measures to guard against the radicalisation of children in some so-called supplementary schools or tuition centres.

Cameron also lamented the lack of progress in dealing with the so-called Trojan horse scandal, which saw allegations of infiltration by religious extremists in Birmingham schools.

“It has taken too long to take action against the governors and teachers involved in the scandal and to support the schools affected to turn themselves around.

In one of his headline announcements, he unveiled a new scheme to enable parents to apply directly to get their child’s passport cancelled to prevent travel. This comes in the face of a number of high-profile cases in which young men and women have fled to Syria to join Isis.