The author 'quietly condemns' the ideology of Isis, but is caught on camera
(
Abdul-Azim Ahmed
)
Can you trust your Muslim neighbour?
Sure, they may seem nice. I bet they probably come across as well adjusted, friendly, perhaps even "normal", but are you sure you can trust them? Are you sure that behind closed doors they aren’t tacitly supporting violent extremism? Perhaps sitting in silence, drinking a coffee, they mull over how wonderful it would be to force you to convert to Islam.
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It sounds ridiculous, but it’s this guilt-by-association and constant suspicion that David Cameron is peddling. In a speech today he announced that some British Muslims are “quietly condoning” the ideology of Isis. How do you even prove that? Or disprove it?
The problem with quietly condoning something is that, well, it tends to be quiet. The speech comes in the context of a wider strategy of disengagement by the Conservatives with British Muslims that has only served to dampen the counter-extremism work that is taking place.
It would be nice to imagine that Cameron’s speech could be criticised as being ill-worded and nothing more. But the words of the Prime Minister carry weight.
Russian Muslims pray outside the central mosque in Moscow, during celebrations of Eid al-Fitr marking the end of the fasting month of Ramadan
AFP/Getty Images
4/27 Turkey
Turkish Muslims offer Eid al Fitr prayers as they mark the first day of the Eid al-Fitr at Fatih Sultan Mosque in Istanbul
Getty Images
5/27 Syria
A Syrian Dervish dances as part of a traditional event organised by the Syrian Ministry of Tourism under the title 'Music and Dervishes' in the old city of Damascus
EPA
6/27 Bosnia and Herzegovina
A Bosnian Muslim man, wearing a traditional Bosnian outfit, fires a canon from a vantage point overlooking Sarajevo to mark the end of daily fasting on the final day of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan
AFP/Getty Images
7/27 Pakistan
A general view of an illuminated Mosque as Muslims pray during the 27th night of Ramadan, in Peshawar
EPA
8/27 Pakistan
Muslim women offer prayer of the Jumat-ul-wida, the last Friday of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan at a mosque in Lahore
AP
9/27 India
Muslims offer prayers on the last Friday of the holy month of Ramadan in Dargah Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti
Rex Features
10/27 Saudi Arabia
The Prophet Mohammed Mosque in the holy city of Medina, during Ramadan
EPA
11/27 Malaysia
A Malaysian swings around fireworks to celebrate the last day of the Muslims' Holy fasting month of Ramadan, in Shah Alam, outside Kuala Lumpur
12/27 Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyz Muslims pray during the Eid al-Fitr Muslim celebration marking the end of Ramadan in Bishkek
EPA
13/27 Ivory Coast
People pray during the Laylat Al Qadr prayers on the 27th day of the Islamic month of fasting, Ramadan in the front of the Aghin mosque in Abidjan
AFP/Getty Images
14/27 Syria
Syrians shop for traditional sweets in Kafr Batna in the rebel-held Eastern Ghouta area, on the outskirts of the capital Damascus, ahead of Eid al-Fitr which marks the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan
AFP/Getty Images
15/27 Israel
A Palestinian woman prays on the third Friday of the holy fasting month of Ramadan on the compound known to Muslims as Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as Temple Mount in Jerusalem's Old City
REUTERS
16/27 Iran
Iranian Shiite Muslims pray at the graves of soldiers who were killed during 1980-88 Iran-Iraq War, at the Behesht-e-Zahra cemetery, during the holy fasting month of Ramadan, just outside Tehran, Iran
AP
17/27 Israel
A Palestinian man pours water on Muslim worshippers' heads to cool off in the heat, as others pray outside the Dome of the Rock at the al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem during the last Friday prayers of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan
EPA
18/27 Afghanistan
Afghan women wait to receive food ration during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan in Herat
EPA
19/27 Pakistan
A Pakistani Muslim reads the holy Koran as he observes Itikaf at a Mosque, in Peshawar
EPA
20/27 India
Kashmiri Muslim women offer prayers as the head priest (not pictured) displays a holy relic believed to be hair from the beard of the Prophet Mohammed, during special prayers to observe the Martyr Day of Hazrat Ali, cousin of Prophet Mohammed, on the 21st day of Ramadan, at the Hazratbal Shrine in Srinagar, the summer capital of Indian Kashmir
EPA
21/27 India
Indian Muslims sit with bowls of porridge(Nombu kanji)as they prepare to break the fast with the Iftar meal during the Islamic month of Ramadan at The Wallajah Big Mosque in Chennai
AFP/Getty Images
22/27 Lebanon
Spectators watch fireworks as a giant Fanous, or Ramadan lantern, is switched on four days before the start of Ramadan month in front of Mohamed al-Amine Mosque in downtown Beirut
EPA
23/27 Lebanon
Lebanese children perform during activities celebrating the upcoming Muslim holy month of Ramadan, in downtown Beirut
AP
24/27 Palestine
Palestinian men drink tea on the promenade of Gaza beach
Getty
25/27 Indonesia
Members of Nahdlatul Ulama, the biggest Muslim organisation in Indonesia, hold a mass prayer session to welcome in Ramadan in Jakarta
AFP/Getty
26/27 Iraq
Iraqis shop for food in a preparation for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan in Baghdad
AP
27/27 Indonesia
Foods is seen during 'Unggah-unggahan' ceremony to welcome in the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan in Pekuncen village
Getty
1/27
2/27
3/27 Russia
Russian Muslims pray outside the central mosque in Moscow, during celebrations of Eid al-Fitr marking the end of the fasting month of Ramadan
AFP/Getty Images
4/27 Turkey
Turkish Muslims offer Eid al Fitr prayers as they mark the first day of the Eid al-Fitr at Fatih Sultan Mosque in Istanbul
Getty Images
5/27 Syria
A Syrian Dervish dances as part of a traditional event organised by the Syrian Ministry of Tourism under the title 'Music and Dervishes' in the old city of Damascus
EPA
6/27 Bosnia and Herzegovina
A Bosnian Muslim man, wearing a traditional Bosnian outfit, fires a canon from a vantage point overlooking Sarajevo to mark the end of daily fasting on the final day of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan
AFP/Getty Images
7/27 Pakistan
A general view of an illuminated Mosque as Muslims pray during the 27th night of Ramadan, in Peshawar
EPA
8/27 Pakistan
Muslim women offer prayer of the Jumat-ul-wida, the last Friday of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan at a mosque in Lahore
AP
9/27 India
Muslims offer prayers on the last Friday of the holy month of Ramadan in Dargah Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti
Rex Features
10/27 Saudi Arabia
The Prophet Mohammed Mosque in the holy city of Medina, during Ramadan
EPA
11/27 Malaysia
A Malaysian swings around fireworks to celebrate the last day of the Muslims' Holy fasting month of Ramadan, in Shah Alam, outside Kuala Lumpur
12/27 Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyz Muslims pray during the Eid al-Fitr Muslim celebration marking the end of Ramadan in Bishkek
EPA
13/27 Ivory Coast
People pray during the Laylat Al Qadr prayers on the 27th day of the Islamic month of fasting, Ramadan in the front of the Aghin mosque in Abidjan
AFP/Getty Images
14/27 Syria
Syrians shop for traditional sweets in Kafr Batna in the rebel-held Eastern Ghouta area, on the outskirts of the capital Damascus, ahead of Eid al-Fitr which marks the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan
AFP/Getty Images
15/27 Israel
A Palestinian woman prays on the third Friday of the holy fasting month of Ramadan on the compound known to Muslims as Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as Temple Mount in Jerusalem's Old City
REUTERS
16/27 Iran
Iranian Shiite Muslims pray at the graves of soldiers who were killed during 1980-88 Iran-Iraq War, at the Behesht-e-Zahra cemetery, during the holy fasting month of Ramadan, just outside Tehran, Iran
AP
17/27 Israel
A Palestinian man pours water on Muslim worshippers' heads to cool off in the heat, as others pray outside the Dome of the Rock at the al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem during the last Friday prayers of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan
EPA
18/27 Afghanistan
Afghan women wait to receive food ration during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan in Herat
EPA
19/27 Pakistan
A Pakistani Muslim reads the holy Koran as he observes Itikaf at a Mosque, in Peshawar
EPA
20/27 India
Kashmiri Muslim women offer prayers as the head priest (not pictured) displays a holy relic believed to be hair from the beard of the Prophet Mohammed, during special prayers to observe the Martyr Day of Hazrat Ali, cousin of Prophet Mohammed, on the 21st day of Ramadan, at the Hazratbal Shrine in Srinagar, the summer capital of Indian Kashmir
EPA
21/27 India
Indian Muslims sit with bowls of porridge(Nombu kanji)as they prepare to break the fast with the Iftar meal during the Islamic month of Ramadan at The Wallajah Big Mosque in Chennai
AFP/Getty Images
22/27 Lebanon
Spectators watch fireworks as a giant Fanous, or Ramadan lantern, is switched on four days before the start of Ramadan month in front of Mohamed al-Amine Mosque in downtown Beirut
EPA
23/27 Lebanon
Lebanese children perform during activities celebrating the upcoming Muslim holy month of Ramadan, in downtown Beirut
AP
24/27 Palestine
Palestinian men drink tea on the promenade of Gaza beach
Getty
25/27 Indonesia
Members of Nahdlatul Ulama, the biggest Muslim organisation in Indonesia, hold a mass prayer session to welcome in Ramadan in Jakarta
AFP/Getty
26/27 Iraq
Iraqis shop for food in a preparation for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan in Baghdad
AP
27/27 Indonesia
Foods is seen during 'Unggah-unggahan' ceremony to welcome in the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan in Pekuncen village
Getty
However, what is most frustrating is that Cameron’s speech will do little to actually address violent extremism or radicalisation, which has a lot less to do with ideology than the Government seems to think. Ultimately it has more to do with peer groups, disenfranchisement and religious naivety than an extremist ideology being “quietly condoned”.
As Dr Suraj Lakhani, a researcher on radicalisation, puts it: “[Radicalisation] is not just about the eternal rewards people mention when talking of 'jihad' [...] It is also about those involved with these types of activities feeling special and significant; it is about them tapping into the perception held by certain people that extremism is cool; and it is a chance for them to be able to demonstrate their masculinity and define a distinct identity for themselves. It gives them an escape from their potentially normal and predictable lives.”
Today Cameron’s speech will be welcomed by racists, the far-right and perhaps most worryingly of all, violent extremists themselves. After all, it is violent extremists who profit from telling British Muslims that Britain will never be home, and the Government will never trust Muslims. Cameron has simply added fodder to their rhetoric.
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