The government’s corrosive counter-terrorism initiative means Muslims at universities and schools will disengage from the topic for fear of suspicionIt’s the stuff of farce. A Muslim postgraduate student of counter-terrorism,spotted reading a textbook entitled Terrorism Studies in the library, is accused by his own university of being a terrorist; while a 14-year-ancient Muslim schoolboy, or having taken part in a French lesson discussion on environmental activism – l’ecoterrorisme – is asked whether he was is “affiliated” with Islamic State.
Welcome to the world of Prevent duty,the latest government initiative – in force since June – ostensibly aimed at stopping pupils from fitting extremists of all stripes; but which many see as another ill-thought-out addition to the litany of miscalculation and distrust between official Britain and its beleaguered Muslim community.
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Source: theguardian.com