David Cameron to unveil five-year plan to combat home-grown terrorism

He will also launch a review on how to improve social integration in ethnic minority communities


Reuters July 20, 2015
British Prime Minister, David Cameron. PHOTO: AFP

LONDON: Prime Minister David Cameron will set out a five-year strategy on Monday to tackle extremism in Britain, an issue he will describe as the "struggle of our generation" - vowing to take on those responsible for radicalising young British Muslims.

Cameron will outline a counter-extremism strategy, due to be published in full later this year, which seeks to stop the spread in Britain of the radical ideology promoted by Islamic State (IS) militants in Syria and Iraq.

Read: British woman charged of affiliation with IS

About 700 Britons are estimated to have travelled to Syria and Iraq to join IS militants. Britain's security threat level is at its second-highest setting, meaning an attack is highly likely, and last month 30 British tourists were killed in a gun attack in Tunisia.

A key aim of the strategy will be to combat the rise of such so-called "homegrown extremists", something which Cameron says cannot be done without understanding and tackling the reasons why people are drawn to IS.

"When groups like IS seek to rally our young people to their poisonous cause, it can offer them a sense of belonging that they can lack here at home, leaving them more susceptible to radicalisation and even violence against other British people to whom they feel no real allegiance," he will say.

Cameron will warn that "strong, positive Muslim voices" are being drowned out by those who espouse the extremist ideology of IS, although stopping short of advocating violence.

Read: Cameron - IS militants are plotting 'terrible' UK attacks

He will also launch a review on how to improve social integration in ethnic minority communities, according to extracts from the speech released to the media.

On Sunday Cameron said he wanted Britain to do more to help the United States destroy IS in Syria, and government sources say he is expected to seek parliamentary approval to extend anti-IS bombing missions into Syria. Britain currently only conducts airstrikes in neighbouring Iraq.

COMMENTS (5)

Kingsmen | 9 years ago | Reply @Afzal: Muslims do not know how to integrate. Period. They love to form their own community. Honor kill their girls if they date outside. Enforce islamic practices on family. Expect their kid to fall in line with their hard views on religion. Attend mosques where mostly hot head mullahs gives hate speech. All these are not allegations, facts proven throughout the time. Then they groom our girls to sleep with them. Of course they will not be welcomed if they dont want to act like us after coming to our home and telling us that our way of living is not right. Go back then, and leave my home alone. We gave you shelter and you did nothing to utilize our help but tried to drag us down by threatening us with consequences if we do not impose your outdated shariah law ? How dare you ? And you expect us to just keep quite and take it all ? Did we ask you to change your belief or religion ? Then why do you keep demanding and begging special treatment ? I wish my minister first kicks out all who do not wants to value the British way of living. Too much of this hypocrisy of religious freedom. Clearly some people do not understand it and do not deserve it. I respectfully ask all Muslims , especially from Pakistan and Saudi Arabia to go back. You guys are destroying the secular fabric of my country.
mahakaalchakra | 9 years ago | Reply @Afzal: Only Muslim youth in the west and USA are falling victims of radicalization; Is it so difficult to guess, why?
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