MI6 chief: mothers curb extremism
MOTHERS are vital in stopping radicalisation, the head of MI6 has, said as he praised their “critical role” in steering children away from extremism.
It is the first time that Alex Younger, who is chief of the secret intelligence service, has spoken about the importance of women in the global fight against terrorism.
“The education of women in the Muslim world is vital to a peaceful, harmonious and cohesive society,” he said.
“They play a critical role in society by teaching future generations to choose a more positive path by rejecting extremism and radicalisation.” Mr Younger has warned in the past that terrorist groups such as Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil) pose a “persistent threat” that will last a “professional lifetime”.
He said that while Britain had made significant improvements in the way it tackles terrorism, there was little sign of the “enduring” danger disappearing.
The Government has previously urged Muslim women in the UK to learn English, in order to prevent their sons from turning to extremism.
Dame Louise Casey, who carried out a two-year review into integration in the UK, found that women in Pakistani and Bangladeshi communities are twice as likely as men to have poor English.
In some cases, the mothers of terrorists or plotters have raised the alarm about their sons. The mother of Youssef Zaghbam, an Italian terrorist who took part in the London Bridge attacks, said last year that she had personally urged Italian police to warn authorities in the UK, where her son was living, after he was arrested at an Italian airport trying to get to Syria.
Two 15-year-old schoolboys were caught plotting to blow up the Houses of Parliament and Buckingham Palace after one of their mothers discovered suspicious powder in her son’s room. Liam Duffy, director of Since 9/11, the counter-extremism education charity, said that from a young age children must be taught about democracy, free speech and social activism to counter the appeal of extremism. Too often people are afraid, there is so much anxiety on the adults’ side, but we have to talk about these things.” he said. “It is a teacher’s responsibility to challenge and have the robust discussion.
“When a child says something a bit worrying, teachers just need to challenge those points of view and open up the discussion. If that fails, we risk the attraction of divisive extremist groups becoming more appealing.” The charity has previously warned that some teachers are scared to discuss 9/11 with their pupils as they fear a backlash from Muslim parents. Since 9/11 is now developing new teaching materials for primary schools with the University College London’s Institute of Education.
“People up and down the country have come from places where democracy either doesn’t exist and trust in authorities is low,” Mr Duffy said.
“If we can encourage children and young people to understand their role in a democratic framework using freedom of speech and association, young people are less likely to see violence as their only course of action.”