UK’s response to terror attacks risks ‘alienating’ Muslim community: report

Watchdog slams calls by senior British politicians for Muslims to ‘do more’ to fight extremism

UK’s response to terror attacks on its soil may alienate the Muslim community from taking part in the country’s efforts to curb terrorism, a watchdog has warned in its report.

Britain has been hit by series of terror attacks this year. Since 2001, there have been almost 100 terrorist-related deaths in the country, the vast majority linked to religious extremism. In its report Max Hill QC, the Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation, found that mosques and community centres in the country felt under pressure to denounce atrocities even when they had to links to perpetrators.

The researcher slammed calls by senior UK politicians for Muslim to “do more” to fight extremism. “Many in the Muslim communities are already doing a great deal and if they could be doing ‘more’, no one appears to have made clear what that means,” Hill wrote in a foreword to the report. “Failure to do so can lead to further alienation, frustration and perhaps even withdrawal for many in spheres where we all need to protect and preserve meaningful engagement.”



Communities secretary Sajid Javid said that British Muslims like himself “must go further” than condemning terror attacks in the wake of the massacre at London Bridge. At least eight people were killed and 50 injured after three extremists drove into pedestrians on London Bridge last month, then attacked revelers in nearby bars and restaurants with knives.

“Enough is enough,” announced Prime Minister Theresa May the following day, in a speech that claimed there was “far too much tolerance of extremism in our country”. Leader of the Opposition Jeremy Corbyn had been heavily criticised by Conservative politicians for calling for a “smarter way to reduce the threat” than the War on Terror. He argued that it was the “responsibility of Government to minimise” the chance of attacks by giving police the resources they need and to ensure “foreign policy reduces rather than increases the threat to this country”.

Hill made no reference to individual politicians or groups in his report but cautioned over a lack of engagement felt by some communities.  “A more proactive role ought to be taken by government at all levels to address wider concerns, and thereby to avoid the perception of engagement with these communities only when things have gone wrong,” he added, saying that only the response to the Finsbury Park terror attack was viewed as positive.



The pre-planned research was carried through in May and June in Leicester, Bradford, Manchester and London, coincidentally coming as the UK was hit by a string of terror attacks. In under three months, atrocities in Westminster, Manchester, London Bridge and Finsbury Park left 36 people dead and 200 injured.

Hill said many Muslims he spoke to at community meetings across the country feared being blamed for being 'complicit' in Islamic State (IS)-inspired attacks, with younger followers of the faith sometimes afraid to engage with their local mosques, or to debate their identities and religion because they thought they might be reported to police.

The Forward Thinking report noted that relatives felt police had been “heavy handed”, taking a mother and young children away from their home, and urged authorities to treat affected families with care and proportionality. “These matters are sensitive and the long-term welfare of Muslim families affected by police investigations must always be uppermost in our minds,” Hill said. “These steps and conversations are important because they have the capacity to engender trust and confidence in our security apparatus.”



The warning came after Britain’s most senior police officer said she expects more terror attack plans to be discovered in the UK. Cressida Dick, the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, said six plots have been thwarted in the last four months alone, adding: “Progress on the ground in Syria and Iraq does not necessarily translate into a reduction in threat here.”

This article originally appeared on The Independent.