The Horn of Africa and Radicalisation

Running up to the next election, Labour are going to lay a number of charges against us, some of which will attempt to paint our Party as being ‘soft’ on issues of safety and security. They have consistently tried to push this and at the forefront of their strategy will be the charge that our Party has no coherent strategy to tackle radicalisation and extremism.

Having had the opportunity to work on PREVENT programmes with various Government departments, I know the vast amounts of work that are being undertaken on this agenda and with new and innovative thinking playing a role in ensuring safety and security. Yet for me, there is always a fear that communities may be labelled and marginalised, although the Government’s language has become much more sensitive and more importantly, it is not that certain faith communities will be labelled, it is about the potential impacts on the civil liberties of Muslim and other Black and Minority Ethnic communities.

Things have moved on significantly since the initial Pathfinder PREVENT programmes were implemented in certain local authorities in 07/08. Local authorities are starting to clearly disseminate between PREVENT work and community cohesion, even though there are common strands. The language of PREVENT is more sensitive, yet preventing violent extremism is clearly stated as being part of the programme of work, even though projects may be labelled in softer ways. Also, many more Muslim civil society groups are applying for funding,, compared to the few that applied in the initial Pathfinder programmes. So, things are moving on and the PREVENT work is bedding down in communities.

One of the concerns that I have is that we do not get caught out by Labour’s charges and a detailed analysis of what is taking place on the ground needs to be disseminated to key stakeholders so that we can understand the complexity of the issues around violent extremism. The Government and security agencies have for example, developed threat assessment frameworks that are related to certain towns and cities in the UK, suffice as to say that even if suspected individuals who can and will carry our violent actions leave the city, it may still be regarded as being an area at risk. More importantly, as I mentioned at a conference recently, the horn of Africa and in particular, the continuing civil war in Somalia, may lead to real problems here in the UK.

A few weeks whilst doing a door to door surgery in my ward in Haringey, I came across a young Somali who was angry at the actions of Ethiopia within Somalia. He felt that the actions of Ethiopia within Somalia were disastrous (something that I agree with); he felt very angry at what was taking place and the inaction of our Government (he is entitled to feel that way and more importantly, to voice them), but then he moved onto something else. He stated that violent action was the only way to free Somalia and this is where I intervened and talked about other ways of voicing concerns and changing opinion. After listening to me for 10 seconds, he closed the door. I do not believe that young man would conduct any violent actions, yet, he clearly had thought about various options in his own mind and the only way forward for the ‘liberation’ of Somalia, was through violence.

Global conflicts are clearly impacting on us in the UK and there are political and social complexities that lead to people believing that violent action for social change is the only way forward. Yet, more than ever, we need to be aware of what is taking place and to develop our own pro-active thinking in this area. We need to be seen as the thoughtful David, taking on ‘Goliath’ political parties, rather than Achilles with a serious flaw that can be prone to attack.

Gay and Lesbian Muslims? Yes and Proud of Being Both

Today, I had the pleasure of speaking at the IMAAN (www.imaan.org.uk) annual conference in Euston. Imaan is a group that focuses on informing and campaigning on issues affecting gay and lesbian practising Muslims and I was invited on the basis of my interfaith work and as an elected politician who happens to be Muslim.

I am proud to have spoken since for me, there is no contradiction in being gay or lesbian and wanting to practise Islam. Many Muslims make reference to the Sura (chapter) on Lout (Lot) in the Quran, yet there are numerous examples and references to respecting individualism and in protecting the integrity and honour of people. Islam also makes clear that people are different and that difference is a gift from Allah (God) or the Almighty. I therefore see no conflict and whilst this may be unsettling to many, the very fact that someone classifies and wants to be identified as a Muslim means that they should be respected as so.

Today, I saw many young Muslims who practised their faith and who also felt at ease with their sexuality. In fact, I heard about how Islam teaches them to be truthful and for many, they will not marry simply to live a double life so that they are not seen as 'bringing shame on their families.' They would rather not ruin the life of a woman and live a lie as their faith gave them a strong moral compass. This resounded with me greatly.

As a heterosexual man who happens to be Muslim, it is very clear that a space is needed for these young men and women. Not only do they suffer from homophobia, they also suffer from Islamophobia outside and within gay and lesbian communities. This double whammy is not lost on them and in fact, it makes that space for their voices even more important. I for one will support their work and within Haringey, I am sure that there is a large gay and lesbian Muslim community, bearing in mind that Muslims make up over 40,000 residents in the Borough.

You see, the strength of Islam is its diversity. And within that diversity, there are also those voices which I listened to today. I hope that they continue to stand up for who they are and help to change midsets and prejudices that are ranged against them on a daily basis.

Appointment as Advisor to the Leader of the Liberal Democrats on Interfaith and Tackling Radicalism and Extremism

Can I firstly congratulate and thank the Leader of the Liberal Democrats, Nick Clegg MP, on his bold vision to appoint Cllr Meral Ece and I as advisors. My new role as of this week is to advise the Leader on issues related to the fields of interfaith and preventing extremism and radicalism.

Over the last 6 years, I have worked around building good community relations through interfaith projects which have attempted to promote commonalities between faiths, whilst then looking at and understanding key differences. These have been done through the prism of building resilient communities and more recently, my work and insight into the Preventing Violent Extremism agenda strengthens my belief that the scourge of radicalism, extremism and terrorism needs to be defeated wherever and whichever community it is found within. This in my opinion, does not mean labelling faith groups like Muslim communities, though it means working with them to promote mutual tolerance and understanding whilst weeding out the purveyors of hate. These purveyors of hate do nothing for the faith that they purport to be from and make issues more difficult for others within their communities. We must also not forget that Islam and Muslims have been in Europe for over a millennium and they are part of Europe's history.

This is not to say that radicalism and extremism are only relevant to a few communities. Through my work I have found the scourge in many faith groups, yet we must not forget that faith plays a strong role in social action in our country and has shaped social justice within our local areas.

My appointment also means that we, the Liberal Democrats, understand the importance of interfaith work and that it should be mainstreamed within political discourses and debates. This is a very important first step and there are no such advisors within Labour and the Conservatives around this area.

Nick said that he was going to be bold and put forward a vision of a diverse Britain. I realise that his vision is based on social justice, fairness, tolerance and openness. I believe in that and these ideals are fundamental to ensuring that we all have equal access to resources and opportunities within our lives.

Notes to Editors

A short biography of Fiyaz Mughal is below:

FIYAZ MUGHAL

Fiyaz Mughal was part of the Working Groups that made up the Extremism Task Force which was convened by the then Prime Minister, Tony Blair, after the 7/7 bombings.

He is an accredited national Peer Mentor with IDeA on preventing violent extremism.

An Oxford City Councillor in 2002-2004, Fiyaz is now a Councillor in the London Borough of Haringey and was also the Chair of the Ethnic Minority Liberal Democrats from 2002-2006. He was also appointed as one of a number of Deputy Presidents for the Liberal Democrats in 2006 and was one of the party's Prospective London Mayoral candidates in 2007.

Fiyaz founded Faith Matters (http://www.faith-matters.org.uk/) in 2004 and works on interfaith, conflict resolution and Preventing Violent Extremism programmes within faith communities in the UK and internationally.