The
Muslim groups -- representing senior imams, scholars, Muslim
politicians and MCB representatives -- agreed to establish a task
force which will develop a network capable of penetrating what are
often poor and introverted communities, it added.
Downing
Street later confirmed suggestions that the task force would be
Muslim-led, but supported by government, though it said it is too
early to know if that will mean forms of financial support.
After
the meeting, Blair told reporters: "The meeting revolved around a
very strong desire of people from right across the Muslim community in
our country to be united, not just in a condemnation of the terrible
terrorist attacks here in London but also to confront and deal head-on
with the extremism that is based on a perversion of the true faith of
Islam but nonetheless is real within parts of our community here in
this country."
Several
Muslim representatives, however, said the invasion of Iraq as well as
other parts of UK foreign policy were a grievance for young Muslims.
Blair
was warned, according to the daily, that it will be hard for them to
reach radically disaffected young people in their midst.
One
MP present, Sadiq Khan, later warned against treating Muslims like
"one homogeneous blob" and of raising expectations too far
as to what could easily be achieved, The Guardian said.
"You
wouldn't expect a vicar to be able to reach a white boy on a street
corner, so it's dangerous to expect Muslim leaders can reach their
troubled youth," he said.
"The
overwhelming majority of youth and others in the Muslim community are
alienated not just from British institutions, but from Muslim
institutions as well. Mr Blair met too narrow a group of Muslims. He
invited those who he knew would agree with him," Massoud
Shadjareh, of the Islamic HRC, said.
‘Monitoring’
Muslims
 |
|
The
British government is planning to set up special intelligence
units to monitor Muslims nationwide.
|
Within
the same context, the British government is planning to set up special
intelligence units to monitor Muslims nationwide so the authorities
can collect "community by community" knowledge of where
extremism is building up, The Guardian reported.
The
Muslim Contact Units, staffed by London's Metropolitan Police Special
Branch officers, will be established in areas including Yorkshire,
northwest England and parts of the Midlands, the paper reported.
After
the London bombings, the daily said, police admit their intelligence
of what goes on in Muslim communities is "low", and urgently
needs to be boosted.
"Deep
knowledge of Muslim communities is rare in the service," a senior
police officer with knowledge of the scheme told The Guardian.
"If
you are going to understand who is extreme and who is dangerous, which
are different (ideas), you have to understand the community," the
officer was quoted as saying.
"Unless
you know the subject well and what they are saying, often in Arabic or
Urdu, and what the context is, you are not going to get a feel for
it," the source said.
He
stressed that the squads would be open about their work. "It is
not about spying."
The
police and Home Office said a Muslim Contact Unit operating in London
has already helped thwart extremist attempts to recruit young British
Muslims to violent jihad, by working with Islamic communities, The
Guardian said.
The
establishment of the special units is one of the first concrete
counter-terrorist measure to emerge after the July 7 London bombings
on three subway trains and one bus that claimed the lives of 56
people, it added.
The
Special Branch units will have language skills and seek detailed
knowledge of the dynamic of Islamic communities in their areas, the
paper said.
Dual
Roles
The
units will fulfill two roles, helping protect Muslim communities from
Islamophobic abuse and attacks, while also gathering intelligence on
extremist activity, it added.
Any
leads on extremists can be passed to the security services or acted
upon by police.
"It's
about policing, it's not just about being nice to communities. You
protect them against Islamophobia, and work with Muslims to protect
them against extremists, the senior police source told the British
daily.
Plans
to expand the Muslim Contact Units are expected to get final approval
and funding soon from ministers, the paper said.
"The
unit works in partnership with the managers of mosques that are under
threat from extremism," The Guardian quoted a Home Office
memorandum as saying.
The
memorandum was lodged with the House of Commons home affairs select
committee, explaining more about the dedicated Special Branch squad
operating in London, which was set up after the September 11 attacks
on the United States.
"By
supporting the valuable work that these mosque leaders are already
undertaking, and by providing a confidential avenue for the disclosure
of information about individuals of concern, the unit has been
influential in protecting young Muslims from recruitment
attempts."
Far
from fearing the units, one Muslim critic of the police welcomed their
expansion.
Massoud
Shadjareh, of the Islamic Human Rights Commission who has campaigned
against alleged police harassment and brutality against Muslims,
praised the way the London unit had worked so far.
"Out
of all the Metropolitan police, this is the only one that deals with
the issue of Muslims on facts rather than on Islamophobic
perceptions," he said. "There's always a fear they could be
collecting intelligence, that any section of the police could have a
dual purpose."
Azad
Ali, chairman of the Muslim Safety Forum, where Islamic
representatives and senior officers discuss policing issues, said:
"They've done a lot of good work in reassuring communities."
In
another effort to boost intelligence gathering capabilities about
Islamic communities in Britain, police are to intensify their attempts
to recruit more Muslim officers, The Guardian said.
The
Metropolitan police has just 300 officers from a Muslim background.
Britain's
top police officer, Sir Ian Blair, will meet Muslim leaders to discuss
the issue next Monday, the paper said.
The
British government is expected to organize a conference to be attended
by a host of Muslim scholars from across the world in August on means
of addressing extremism and combating terrorism.
