Muslim community urged to carry out social media blitz on extremism

British Muslims should launch a collective social media blitz to denounce extremism as part of a drive to eliminate the “menace” lurking within communities, a former police chief has said.

Mak Chishty, who was the country’s most senior Muslim officer before retiring last week, issued a “call to action” for a show of defiance against fanatics online.

Outlining his blueprint for tackling extremism in the wake of three deadly terror attacks, the ex Met Police commander also recommended a “mapping” exercise to identi- 0 Mak Chishty has issued a call to action against fanatics fy areas of vulnerability and more leadership roles for women.

He described the London Bridge atrocity as a “turning point” and said Britain must face up to “difficult conversations” rather than “skirting round the issue”.

Mr Chishty appealed to Muslims of all ages to use their Facebook or Whatsapp accounts to “denounce extremism as not theirs”.

He said: “All of a sudden you will find maybe these extremist voices begin to shrink.

“Remove their dominance, starve them of that oxygen, make sure they’ve got a powerful lobby against them.

“We can do that now, we can do that today. Don’t attack me for saying that dangers lie within mosques because they do. Instead, use your voice and maybe avert the next terrorist attack.”