In defence of prevent

By Iman Abou-Atta

Last night I read with some dismay that the government strategy ‘Preventing Violent Extremism’, or ‘Prevent‘ as it is also known, has come under fire from a parliamentary committee. The committee published a report which seeks an independent investigation into how the scheme is perceived by the communities it is intended for.

Many witnesses who came before the committee felt the Prevent agenda had been used to spy on Muslim communities. This couldn’t be further from the truth. The nature of our work at Faith Matters is incredibly sensitive, and so our approach to the work must be too. Much energy is spent ensuring that we work at the heart of the communities vulnerable to violent extremist messages. We build relationships and create an environment in which they can and do trust us. So I find it unhelpful when there is a suggestion that organisations like ours are in some way “spying” on the very communities we seek to help.

It is also important to note that Prevent doesn’t only deal with Muslim communities but it also works on extremist elements which exist in other areas including the far right.

As a result of this, a deep rooted ‘victim mentality’ can and has been created in certain communities where people feel threatened and/or alienated. In addition, they have become distrustful of one another. The Prevent agenda, however, has done two things very well. First, it has supported the organic development of a young leadership within Muslim communities in the UK; second, it has encouraged up-and-coming female leaders in Muslim communities to become active and has given them a platform to play constructive and leading roles. This investment has made a difference and the positive impacts will be felt across Britain.

It is true that from its inception in 2005 following the London tube bombings, Prevent has been a controversial programme. Its purpose, however, is simple: to work with young people who are vulnerable to violent extremist elements.

The strategy is designed to prevent such elements from gaining momentum and to work with vulnerable individuals and their communities to resist supporting these violent movements. Faith Matters has worked on a number of Prevent projects around the country, raising awareness of key pastoral support roles, for example. We have worked with chaplains in institutions who support the vulnerable people we have been describing.

There is also an important role to be played by elected members and faith leaders in this area, and Faith Matters has trained these people in selected communities on the Prevent agenda and community cohesion. Their involvement and support is exceptionally important because their elevated presence as elected members can and does make a difference at community level.

One element that is a reoccurring problem -which our work has sought to address – is to correct the perception in wider communities that conflate Islam and Muslims with Al Qaeda and terrorism, which are, of course, completely separate elements. Projects such as these have been instrumental in ensuring these communities continue to be engaged with wider elements of society.

When John Denham took on the role of secretary of state for communities and local government he wasted no time in rebutting criticisms of the Prevent agenda. He delivered a new plan of action and his message was clear: the programme had to have a much broader appeal, and must reach deep into the heart of communities affected.

This does not mean to “spy” on potential extremists or to carry out “intelligence gathering exercises” with certain groups, as the committee suggests, but to work with, and help, all those who could be affected.

At the heart of this is a need to protect society, break down boundaries and distrust and build cohesive communities. And that is at the forefront of everything we do.