Activist slams anti-extremism policy as toxic amid row over ‘British values’

By Nadeem Badshah

MINISTERS have been criticised by a prominent expert for turning the strategy to tackle extremism into a “toxic brand” which communities are shunning.

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Hanif Qadir, the founder of the Active Change Foundation (ACF), has worked with around 300,000 young people over 17 years, including more than 120 “medium to high-risk individuals”.

Qadir lost government funding after a fall-out over the case involving Jack Letts, who converted to Islam and travelled to Syria to live under Daesh (Islamic State) rule in 2014.

Letts, known as Jihadi Jack, is now in prison in the Middle Eastern country. His parents, Sally and John, were found guilty in June of sending him money.

Qadir was in contact with Jack for around four months in a bid to lure him away from extremism.

He also tried to persuade his parents not to transfer money to their son while he was in Syria. The activist, from London, has criticised the government over the Prevent strategy.

He told Eastern Eye: “You have got a toxic brand called Prevent which is pushing communities far away from engagement.

“To have that accessibility and engagement with young people you have to have credibility.

“Prevent has gone sideways. Experts on the ground are a selected audience that agrees with government policies.

“Before it was about agreeing to disagree on certain policies, and disagreeing sometimes, but getting along. But now it’s an imposed policy and doing it one way. It is counter-productive.”

Qadir added: “You have 99.9 per cent who have a grievance with western foreign policy (in countries) like Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria.

“These are serious contributors, (it is) not the only reason, but is a launchpad for people who are socially isolated.

“This government is trying to avoid what they call Salafi or Wahhabi sects. They are missing a trick. You think they are a problem or an extremist element, so why shouldn’t we engage with them?

“If you are anti-vaccine, you are seen as an extremist now. It is crazy and moving away from the actual problem.”

In a speech in July, then home secretary Sajid Javid said organisations or companies that fail to uphold “British values” would be blacklisted and barred from recruiting foreign staff. It is the first ban of its kind and aims to disrupt groups suspected of stirring up extremism, prevent them from bringing in like-minded recruits from abroad and stop them potentially radicalising young workers.

Failing to uphold British values is defined as “fostering hatred or divisions within communities”, discriminating against individuals for their gender, sexuality, marital status, race or religious belief or justifying or glorifying terrorism.

Qadir believes the move is the “same old stance and rhetoric”.

“It’s limiting the chance to work with them, it is stupid and counterproductive; using words people want to hear within their own party, pandering to supporters.

“I have yet to find a civil servant or politician who can define what British values are.”

Qadir is a reformed extremist, having had been a member of the Taliban in Afghanistan before changing his ways to set up the ACF charity. The tools he uses to try and persuade potential extremists include social media messages and speaking to them to challenge their radical views and the source of their anger.

He lost contact with Letts after the arrest of his parents in 2016.

“I told them specifically on two occasions, ‘don’t send the money, you will be breaking the law’,” he added.

“We had a hostile interaction in the first few months. After a while, he became receptive and wanted to have a dialogue with me.

“I thought there was an opportunity for him to leave or hand himself to authorities. The parents thought I had done my job quickly, he was ready for rehabilitation and thought to send him money.

“I said, ‘we are making inroads, but I don’t think he is completely deradicalised and moved away from the ideology’.”

Qadir now works as a consultant. ACF was self-funded from 2003 but received government money from 2007 until it was withdrawn in 2016.

The loss of funds led him to close the youth centre he ran in Walthamstow, east London.

A government source said it had stopped working with ACF due to the “risky” nature of its work to deradicalise people.

A Home Office spokesman said: “The Prevent programme is fundamentally about safeguarding and supporting vulnerable individuals to stop them from becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism.

“Through the Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015, we placed Channel (anti-extremism programme to support vulnerable people) on a statutory footing to ensure it is delivered consistently in all areas and we expect all coordinators to take that duty seriously.

“However, we do not set any quotas of cases to be referred to.”

We must explain the plan better: Basu

THE national head of counter-terrorism policing, assistant commissioner Neil Basu, said last week the prevent programme was Britain’s “best chance” of reducing the threat from terrorism.

He also acknowledged that a lack of communication in the earlier years of the Prevent strategy had allowed critics to gain too strong a voice.

“We need better communication, more transparency and no longer allowing an information vacuum to give people an opportunity to attack Prevent without any rebuttal,” Basu said.

“It has always been a safeguarding strategy, but the communication around it was badly handled in those earlier years. We needed to be more positive about Prevent earlier, but we are better at that now.”

“One of the best things that have happened recently is the announcement of an independent review of Prevent,” he added.

“When I speak to Prevent practitioners, especially those who work for me, it is amazing work. I want the independent reviewer to go and see this work in action because there is a lot to be proud of.”

An independent review of the programme was announced by the government earlier this year.

Basu added: “The fight to win back trust in the Prevent programme won’t be won by people like me, senior police officers or senior members of the government. It will be won by people rooted in local communities who walk into town halls and community centres to explain what Prevent is and what they are doing.

“Our role should instead be explaining why this is such an important pillar of this country’s strategy to keep people safe from terrorism.

“It should be explaining why it is not about a single religion or ideology, it is about stopping people becoming terrorists - regardless of ideology - and getting to them before they become criminals, so there is a chance to offer them a way out.”