‘IS teens should be allowed home to fight terrorism’
YOUNG people like Cardiff teenager Aseel Muthana who went to Syria to join terror group Islamic State (IS) should be allowed back and used to help fight extremism, the outgoing leader of Muslims in Wales believes.
Saleem Kidwai said the likes of Aseel as well as IS bride Shamima Begum were groomed and exploited by terrorists when they were still teenagers.
Aseel was one of the first British recruits to join the terror group after he followed his brother Nasser and friend Reyaad Khan to Syria in 2014. He was presumed dead before being found in a secret prison and telling a TV news crew he was desperate to return home.
Londoner Shamima, who left aged 15, has also begged to be allowed to be allowed back to the UK after being stripped of her citizenship.
Professor Kidwai, who is retiring as secretary general of the Muslim Council Wales, said the pair’s accounts could be a powerful weapon in stopping other youngsters from following the same path.
He said: “They were young. They were exploited by individuals who misquote Islam. My suggestion is to bring them back, de-brief them and use them to say ‘I have been there and it us all false.’ That would be the most useful thing. It is important we bring them back. They are our citizens and our responsibility.”
Prof Kidwai, who has spoken to Aseel’s parents on a number of occasions, described the former Fitzalan High School pupil as “vulnerable” and an easy target for terrorists using extremist propaganda.
Looking back over his 18 years at the helm of the Muslim Council Wales (MCW), he added that exploitation of young people by terrorists was one of the hardest issues he has had to deal with.
Prior to Aseel going to Syria, extremists had preached in venues including the city’s Channel Leisure Centre at the height of IS propaganda.
Prof Kidwai insisted the MCW had successfully countered this through talking and education.
He said: “The chances of teenagers from Wales going to Syria are less now because the community is more alert that this could happen. Imams and parents are more active at spotting signs. Young people could still get sucked in but not to that extent, I believe. Every mosque has a young imam born and brought up in Wales and every prison and university has a Muslim chaplain.”
Prof Kidwai said leading the MCW through unprecedented times from terrorist attacks to increasing Islamophobia and the rise of IS has convinced him dialogue is the only way forward for peace.
Islamophobia, rather than extremism, is the new problem his successor will have to cope with, he predicts.
Census figures show there are 48,000 Muslims in Wales, but Prof Kidwai believes it is closer to 75,000, 54% of whom are under 35. This means it is vital to address youth poverty and unemployment.
“Problems we are facing are not just Muslim problems. We all have to get together and deal with them. Whether it is drugs or extremism or jobs we all have to work together to deal with it.”
But these problems can be heightened if you are a young Muslim.
“There is a lack of understanding among some employers. People sense there is racism if people have Muslim names, or have a beard or wear a hijab and are not called for interview. Without jobs young people are vulnerable.
“And Islamophobia has become a norm in society when you see statements from the Prime Minister saying Muslim women look like ‘letterboxes’.”
Recalling how the MCW was set up in the wake of the 9/11 attacks in 2001 “to be the voice of Muslims in Wales”, Prof Kidwai admitted he could never imagine the events that would follow in Wales and beyond.
As he watched the attacks with horror, he knew the community had to act.
“I knew it would have repercussions here and then I had a call from Rhodri Morgan,” he added.
Then First Minister Mr Morgan invited him to a faith forum meeting to address concerns raised by 9/11 and the Iraq War with the aim of avoiding division.
After the meeting the MCW was launched – something Prof Kidwai believes has minimised the risk of extremism here and brought communities together like nowhere else in the UK.
The MCW is non-partisan and, crucially, is recognised by and has official links with the Welsh Government – something the Muslim Council Britain does not enjoy with Whitehall.
Prof Kidwai, an accountant who came to the UK from Pakistan in 1971 to study his profession, has also personally worked hard to forge close interfaith relationships in Wales and in 2006 was awarded the OBE for services to diversity and business in Wales.
As he prepares to step down on December 31, the father-of-four hopes his greatest achievement was bringing disparate groups of people of all faiths and none together, not least different groups of Welsh Muslims – “that was one of the hardest things,” he recalled.
Another memory is getting a call from Buckingham Palace asking him to a private lunch with the Queen. He was on his way to the mosque and thought it was a hoax, so didn’t even tell his wife.
He said: “There have been so many difficult times but good times too. I hope my legacy is that I have brought people together. Our priorities are the same after all. We all want to live in peace and have a good job.”