Muslim communities, counter-terrorism and counter-radicalisation: A critically reflective approach to engagement

2008 ◽  
Vol 36 (4) ◽  
pp. 257-270 ◽  
Author(s):  
Basia Spalek ◽  
Robert Lambert
Keyword(s):  
Counter Terrorism ◽  
Reflective Approach ◽  
Muslim Communities

Towards a Cure for Prevent? Building Resilience to Religious and Political Forms of Violence within British Muslim Communities

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 190-210 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julian Hargreaves
Keyword(s):  
Analytical Framework ◽  
Research Literature ◽  
Social Psychological ◽  
Top Down ◽  
Counter Terrorism ◽  
Psychological Concept ◽  
The Social ◽  
Muslim Communities ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Forms Of Violence

Abstract This article engages with community-led responses to religious and political forms of violence within British Muslim communities. The focus here is on ‘bottom-up’, community-led responses to religious and political forms of violence, a relatively underrepresented topic, given the extent of policy and research literature concerning the nature and effects of ‘top-down’ counter-terrorism and counter-extremist initiatives such as the UK Government’s Prevent strategy. The article argues two main points. First, that solutions to the problems of extremism, radicalisation and terrorism (to use the linguistic framework of the UK Government), or to the problems of religious and political forms of violence (the term used here), might be found as much within the realms of religion, culture, family and community as within the realms of security, policing and legislation. Second, that an analytical framework for the development of community-led approaches may be developed via consideration of the social psychological concept of resilience.

scholarly journals Terror Crime Prevention: Constructing Muslim Practices and Beliefs as ‘Anti-Social’ and ‘Extreme’ through CONTEST 2

2009 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 123-132 ◽  
Author(s):  
Basia Spalek ◽  
Laura Zahra McDonald
Keyword(s):  
Crime Prevention ◽  
War On Terror ◽  
Shared Values ◽  
The State ◽  
Counter Terrorism ◽  
Muslim Communities ◽  
Muslim Minorities

This article discusses recent research into engagement and partnership work between Muslim communities and police for the purposes of counter-terrorism. It is argued that asserting a notion of ‘shared values’ as a foundational criterion for choosing which individuals/groups to engage in countering terrorism is strategically flawed. Not only is the notion of ‘values’ overly diffuse and conceptually ill-defined, it is dangerous in its potential to construct even the most normative Muslim practices and beliefs as ‘anti-social’ and ‘extreme’. This is likely to further alienate Muslim communities in general and to exclude those groups with whom the State has so far successfully engaged to counter terrorism. The article further reflects upon engagement and partnership work between police and Muslim minorities perceived as ‘radical’, highlighting how the goal of terror crime prevention can be – and is – shared between police and communities, despite negative and stigmatizing impacts of the ‘War on Terror’.

scholarly journals Prevent Strategy’s Impact on Social Relations

2019 ◽  
pp. 160-193 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Parker ◽  
David Chapot ◽  
Jonathan Davis
Keyword(s):  
Social Relations ◽  
Free Speech ◽  
Social Issues ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Local Authorities ◽  
Community Cohesion ◽  
Counter Terrorism ◽  
The Many ◽  
Muslim Communities ◽  
The Uk

The Prevent Strategy is often accused of being detrimental to social relations in the UK. Criticisms include the securitisation of engagement with Muslim communities, conflation of counter-terrorism and community cohesion, repression of public debate, and the undermining of free speech in schools and universities. This article does not suggest that all criticisms are necessarily invalid or that Prevent, like most strategies addressing complex social issues, is without flaws. However, through analysis of original primary data collected from five years of Prevent delivery in two West London Boroughs, the authors find that many criticisms of Prevent neglect to address the diversity and nuance of impact across the UK as well as the many positive impacts Prevent has on social relations. Criticisms seem partly a consequence of the scarcity of data available to researchers. To address this, the article presents new data to demonstrate a wider range of social impacts, with reference to specific experiences in two Local Authorities.

scholarly journals Engaging with the Muslim Community in Cardiff

2016 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 43-64
Author(s):  
Imran Awan ◽  
Sara Correia
Keyword(s):  
Unique Contribution ◽  
Muslim Community ◽  
Counter Terrorism ◽  
Ethical Concerns ◽  
Muslim Communities ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Blue Print ◽  
Gain Access

Since the 9/11 attacks in 2001, there have been a number of terrorist suspects arrested in the UK, but ¾ of those people are released without charge (Choudhury & Fenwick 2011). This has led to claims from within these communities that counter-terrorism legislation is both heavy handed and counter-productive. This article presents findings from a pilot research project that examined how best to engage with Muslim communities and to examine perceptions from these communities with regards to counter-terrorism legislation. There were two aims for the pilot study. The first was to provide members of the Muslim community in Cardiff with information about the nature of the study, its objectives and the individuals who would be undertaking the research. The second, following from the first, was to assess the feasibility of different methods of undertaking the research with representatives of Cardiff’s Muslim communities. This in turn would help address issues such as how to gain access to participants; how to obtain informed consent for participation in the research; identifying appropriate methods of data collection; appropriate venues for the fieldwork; identifying ethical concerns arising from the research; and identifying any risks to participants and researchers arising from the research, as well as the strategies needed to overcome these risks. This was a qualitative case study which utilized grounded theory principles to generate a theoretical model and involved interviews with 6 people and a focus group consisting of 3 people. In short, this study offers a blue print for further research into the impact of counter terrorism legislation on Muslim communities in Cardiff and makes a unique contribution to the literature on Muslims in Britain as well as counter terrorism studies as Cardiff’s Muslim communities remain under-researched.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document