Extremism? Being Critical of Government Is Sign of Radicalization - Guide

A child protection group has issued a leaflet to help people spot if a child is being radicalized. It claims that if they don't agree with mainstream media, or appear angry at government policies, they are potentially at risk. RT's Anastasia Churkina's gets reactions from citizens in London.

British-born Boko Haram 'Ringleader' Was 'Radicalised at UK University'

Aminu Sadiq Ogwuche was held in Sudan on an
international arrest warrant

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Aminu Sadiq Ogwuche, arrested on suspicion of carrying out bomb attacks in Nigeria, threatened to cut off hands of non-believers while living in Britain

A British-born "ringleader" of the Islamist group responsible for the kidnapping of hundreds of school girls in Nigeria was radicalised while studying at a UK unversity, according to friends.

Aminu Sadiq Ogwuche, 29, was arrested on Wednesday in connection with two recent bombings carried out by Boko Haram in the Nigerian capital Abuja that killed nearly 100 people.

He is suspected of co-masterminding the attacks - one in the suburb of Nyanya that killed 75 people on April 14 and a second attack just yards away which killed 19 earlier this month.

Interpol put out an international arrest warrant for Mr Ogwuche, who was discovered after a reward of £100,000 led to his discovery in Sudan.

Mr Ogwuche, who is the son of a retired Nigerian colonel, was said by fellow students at University of Glamorgan in Wales to call himself "The Lion of God" and threatened to cut the hands and feet of non-believers while living in Britain. » | Josie Ensor, and Colin Freeman | Friday, May 16, 2014

France Steps Up Struggle Against Religious Radicals
THE JERUSALEM POST: Paris says it will deport foreign-born imams, disband radical faith-based groups if they suffer a "religious pathology."

PARIS - France will deport foreign-born imams and disband radical faith-based groups, including hardline traditionalist Catholics, if a new surveillance policy signals they suffer a "religious pathology" and could become violent.

A French Islamist shooting spree last March that killed three soldiers and four Jews showed how quickly religiously radicalized people could turn to force, Interior Minister Manuel Valls told a conference on the official policy of secularism.

His warning came two days after President Francois Hollande announced the creation of an agency to track how the separation of church and state is upheld in this traditionally Catholic country with Europe's largest Muslim and Jewish minorities.

Valls and two other cabinet ministers told the conference on Tuesday evening the Socialist-led government would stress the secularist policy called "laicite [sic]" that they said was weakened under the previous conservative President Nicolas Sarkozy.

"The aim is not to combat opinions by force, but to detect and understand when an opinion turns into a potentially violent and criminal excess," he said. » | Reuters | Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Opinion – Taj Hargey: Minarets Are Not an Essential Part of Islam
TIMES ONLINE: The Swiss vote does not infringe Muslim religious rights

Switzerland’s referendum vote to ban minarets is needlessly xenophobic but it does not infringe the religious liberty of Swiss Muslims. Minarets remain emblematic of mosques in the Muslim heartlands but there is no theological reason why houses of worship in the West have to incorporate such towers.

Their original purpose was to relay the prayer call with the unamplified voice. Today this is done by modern technology, so minarets are not integral to contemporary mosque design. European mosques should stop mindlessly mimicking Eastern design and create prayer halls that blend into the landscape.

Muslims who have settled in Switzerland (and elsewhere in Europe) should not confuse culture with creed. To become integrated into their surroundings, they must relinquish the cultural baggage of their ancestral homelands. They should practice a Swiss Islam that is rooted in the society in which they live.

Although the Swiss have been convinced by right-wing zealots that minarets are a problem, local Muslims should not embrace a victim mentality. They must confront the toxic radicalisation of their faith that is imported from overseas. The Wahhabi denomination >>> Taj Hargey | Tuesday, December 01, 2009

Dr Taj Hargey is the chairman of the Muslim Educational Centre of Oxford and the imam of the Summertown Islamic Congregation in Oxford

Anti-extremism Scheme 'Spying on Muslims'
THE TELEGRAPH: A multi-million pound government scheme designed to prevent the radicalisation of young British Muslims is being used to gather intelligence about innocent people not suspected of terrorism involvement, it was claimed.

The scheme designed to stop Muslims entering extreemism like Ali Beheshti, pictured, who attempted to burn down the house of a book publisher. Photo: The Telegraph
The “Preventing Violent Extremism”, also known as Prevent, was launched three years ago as part of the Government's four "Ps" anti-terror agenda - Prevent, Pursue, Protect and Prepare.

It was designed to stop people being lured to al-Qaida ideology, prevent the radicalisation and committing acts of terrorism.

But reports have suggested the programme was instead being used to used [sic] to gather intelligence about innocent people who are not suspected of involvement in terrorism.

Critics criticised the scheme as being Britain’s biggest spying programme and a breach of civil liberties.

The Institute of Race Relations said the Prevent scheme had been used "to establish one of the most elaborate systems of surveillance ever seen in Britain". >>> Andrew Hough | Saturday, October 17, 2009

Political Row in Denmark over Geert Wilders
RADIO NETHERLANDS WORLDWIDE: Controversial Dutch politician Geert Wilders, who was barred from entering the United Kingdom a month ago, has become the subject of a political row in Denmark. The Danish People's Party and the Conservative Party both want to invite Mr Wilders to a conference in Copenhagen in June on the theme of freedom of speech and radicalisation.

The two parties argue that Mr Wilders is an obvious choice to take part in the conference, following Britain's refusal to let him enter the country, and the fact that his life has been threatened by Muslim fundamentalists. Another point of view >>> By RNW News | Wednesday, March 25, 2009

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback & Hardback – The Netherlands) >>>
The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback – Denmark) >>>

Aftab Ahmad Malik: Imams d'importation
eMARRAKECH: Bristol – S'il est bon et encourageant que le gouvernement britannique recherche une concertation avec les musulmans pour combattre le fléau de la radicalisation, la proposition qu'il vient de faire de recruter des imams modérés du Pakistan montre qu'il a encore beaucoup à apprendre.

Loin d'être des pépinières de radicalisation, ces mosquées ont déçu l'attente des musulmans britanniques précisément parce qu'elles ont employé des imams venus "du pays". Le résultat de cette démarche a été d'aliéner plus encore les jeunes musulmans, qui, de toute façon, sont de plus en plus étrangers à leur langue maternelle, celle qu'emploient pourtant une majorité d'imams.

Sans conteste, s'il existe des exceptions, il n'en reste pas moins que, malgré leur connaissance de l'islam, les imams "importés" n'ont généralement qu'une connaissance limitée des complexités de la vie séculière moderne et des difficultés auxquelles les jeunes musulmans doivent faire face. Il est très rare qu'ils s'efforcent de comprendre le climat politique ou de se donner les moyens de le faire, préférant se confiner dans les questions de piété et de foi.

Les jeunes extrémistes à qui je parle depuis plus de six ans, s'éloignant de plus en plus de cette démarche qui s'est désormais généralisée dans les mosquées, tournent leurs regards ailleurs pour acquérir les "valeurs" islamiques. Imams d'importation >>> Par Aftab Ahmad Malik

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Broché)
The Dawning of a new Dark Age (Relié)