Isolated communities cultivate extremism
THE Manchester Islamic Centre frequented by suicide bomber Salman Abedi denounced last week’s attack, saying it ‘has no place in Islam’.
While these sentiments are hard to fault, a closer look at the Didsbury mosque’s past preaching reveals a different picture.
It has hosted speakers such as Abdullah Hakim Quick, Muhammad ibn Adam al-Kawthari, and Abu Eesa Niamatullah, all of whom hold anti-Semitic, homophobic, and other worrying views.
Hardline preacher Niamatullah has questioned whether people should put their nation and fellow Britons above Islam. He also exclaimed: ‘They [Jews] blow up babies as if it’s a computer game.
‘They have no humanity, no morality, no ethics, no deen [religion], no guidance, no light, nothing.’ He also insisted: ‘Women should not be in the workplace whatsoever.’ The effect this kind of messaging can have on disenfranchised, angry young Muslims can be devastating.
I’ve seen first-hand how damaging segregation can be. I’ve met Muslims who were born and raised in this country but for whom English is their second, barely literate, language.
Why should this matter? Because isolated communities like this are creating the conditions that cultivate extremism.
To understand how deep the rot has set, look to Manchester city’s counter-extremism Prevent co-ordinator Samiya Butt. Her taxpayer-funded job specifically requires her to challenge extreme Islamist views.
Instead, she has actively endorsed the extremist views supported by a group called MEND, on her social media page. If this is the state of our Prevent officers, how can we expect to effect change in the rest of the British Muslim population? But if schemes such as Prevent are imperfect, we must reserve our real vitriol for those who espouse extremist rhetoric.
Reporting individuals such as Salman Abedi is important, but how much praise does anyone really deserve for opposing an IS jihadi? Even Al Qaeda fights IS. This sets a very low bar.
Counter-terrorism must not be confused with countering the extremism that breeds it. And here is where the real work lies.