Morning:
8°c
Blears: Stop extremism by talking to radicals
Martin Bentham, Home Affairs Editor25 Feb 2009
MINISTERS today promised to "engage" with radical Muslim leaders in a new bid to wean their followers away from extremist ideas.
The change of strategy - a significant shift from the previous policy of shunning hardliners - was unveiled today in a speech by Communities Secretary Hazel Blears at the London School of Economics.
She said it could involve ministers sharing a public platform with those whose views were "unpalatable" because ostracising them might backfire by fuelling extremism.
The latest revision to the Government's counter-terrorism comes as ministers prepare to unveil full details of a new "Contest II" blueprint for combating radicalisation. It will aim to separate those who advocate violence from others who hold extreme, but non-violent, views in the hope of minimising the potential breeding ground for terrorists and converting hardliners to more moderate opinions.
The new approach, which will form a centrepiece of an updated counter- terrorism policy, is likely to raise concerns among some who advocate a robust attitude towards extremists.
Ms Blears insisted, however, that while ministers would continue to avoid contact with those who supported terrorism, engaging with other radicals could achieve positive results.
She said that efforts to combat extremism in Britain would not succeed if the Government talked only to a "select few" and claimed instead that a better approach would be to confront directly those with unsavoury views with the aim of defeating their arguments.
Ms Blears said: "If we are to change minds and win this debate, it will not be through restricting our engagement to a select few, but through bringing in new voices and in doing so challenging views and behaviour that we find unpalatable.
"Ultimately, the Government's aim is to encourage and reinforce a change of opinion or behaviour - to move individuals and groups from one end to the other. We won't achieve that by only speaking to people who agree with us nor if our approach is static."
Ms Blears insisted that the new strategy did not amount to ministers "letting our guard down" by appearing to condone radical views and said that "engagement" with hardliners was not the same as endorsing their ideas.
The revised approach raises the prospect of ministers sharing public platforms with Muslim radicals whose views on the treatment of women or homosexuals, for example, would be unacceptable to the vast majority of Britons.
Reader views (25)
They should put it to the vote and see how many of the citizens in this country want to "engage" with people who preach sedition and terrorism. Has she met many people who hold "extreme" but "non violent" views - who are they? The only way to engage with people is to ensure that they live according to the laws of the country in which they are living because if they do not, it impacts on other citizens. This latest bright idea comes days after they refused entry to Geert Wilders. Can we have a list of extremists they are prepared to engage with and a list of extremists they not prepared to engage with.
- Patricia, LONDON, 26/02/2009 10:30
Report abuse
"black british people are still sruggling to have a voice"
- Abdulkarim, london
No Abdul they have a VERY VERY LOUD VOICE in the UK
- P Staker, London, 26/02/2009 10:00
Report abuse
"Engage" with radicals by telling them to leave our country. Not rocket science, is it?
- Shirley, London, 25/02/2009 23:25
Report abuse
Why should any member of any government take note of a religion and its believers,why should religious belief receive such privileges as opposed to other beliefs?first and foremost you were born a human being,(take note Abdulkarim, london)Just because you have chosen to take upon your self a belief system called religion does not entitel you to any more respect because of that,especially in light of the fact that some religious belief systems are detrimental to democracy and oppress people of different beliefs or no belief or a different gender or sexuality etc.to give religious believers such credibility is dangerous and divisive,you can believe what ever you like,but to receive or demand special privileges for taking up yourself a religious belief system is not how and should not be how a democracy functions.For a government minister to pander to such extremists is tantamount to appeasement and is also dangerous,history is full of examples of where this road leads.
- Kev, London-UK, 25/02/2009 21:30
Report abuse
Seems to me that these people are more trouble than they are worth. Appeasement never works. And given the money we are having to spend to keep them sweet in order to keep ourselves safe, one could ask why we are still allowing them to flood in through work and chain migration. This is looking very bad for the future, not just for us, but the whole of Europe.
- Sylvia, Epping Essex, 25/02/2009 21:28
Report abuse
Why, why are we so bad at electing people?!??
- Jacqueline, Hampstead, London, 25/02/2009 19:50
Report abuse
The people that she needs to be 'engaging' are those listening to the extremist leaders, not those who have irrevocably made up their minds. These 'leaders' want everyone living in squalor and misery so they can sell their message of a 'better place', with the certainty that they'd have the undivided attention of their listeners. The modern social decline is breeding just such conditions for them.
THAT is where she and her kind need to be concentrating their efforts, not paraphrasing a glib foreign public speaker's fantasy of what 'should be'; not making nebulous 'change' entreaties without once coming out with a practical way to actually do it.
- Rogan, Irving, 25/02/2009 19:26
Report abuse
I hope "engagement" is not double speak for appeasement and pandering, as is so often the case in this country.
- Steve, Hereford, 25/02/2009 19:15
Report abuse
Hazel Blears, our secret weapon.
Well MS Blears, pack your bags for a tour of the hotspots of Iraq/Afghanistan and send her in, unescorted, to talk the extremists/Taliban to behave as good law abiding citizens, carrying the British flag.
- Hugh, Middx, 25/02/2009 18:44
Report abuse
Radical muslims won't talk to (or listen to) women full stop. Women, to them, are not even second class citizens - they are nothing. Also, these people do not want to talk to us - they want to either destroy us or make us live their medieval lifestyle. Nothing else will suffice.
- Mari, London, 25/02/2009 18:20
Report abuse
Oh, I see, Hazel wishes to engage a group of people who see the 13th century muslim way of life as the ideal. I hate to be a party pooper here but I just don't see it working out to be honest. I could be wrong...
- Gary, London, 25/02/2009 17:03
Report abuse
What is controversial about political leaders expressing a desire to talk to (non-violent) members of the public who hold dissenting points of view? Everyone should try it. That is how minds are opened and bridges are built. But where is the British sense of fair play in this proposal? Hazel Blears can "bore for England". The extremists will not know what has hit them.
- Bloke, London, 25/02/2009 15:27
Report abuse
To all
As a Black british convert to Islam,I find the same tone of comments when black people were seen as the mugger and our brains were considerd small.
How long will you take sides based on information from the media and not from talking to people who you don;t understand and what effects them,the black british people are still sruggling to have a voice,so please before you make comments about other people way of life see the treatment my people are going through that are born in this country.
- Abdulkarim, london, 25/02/2009 14:07
Report abuse
Just want goes through her mind? First open the borders for 12 years, next pay the world to come here and breed and get paid for it. Followed by commit crimes and stay here. Finally speak against your hosts and try to change your tolerant host Country and we will do whatever we can to help you. Pathetic.
- Roger, Surrey., 25/02/2009 13:51
Report abuse
To Ms. Blears: Stop extermism by not letting the radical preachers into this country in the first place, as I believe is the case in the US and many European countries.
- Mikki, London, 25/02/2009 13:47
Report abuse
she is ten years to late
- John Mckim, glasgow.uk, 25/02/2009 13:43
Report abuse
Radical muslims don't talk to women who are showing their hair so Hazel will have to wear a bhurka on the platform. She probably will as well, so desperate is she to appease Muslim radicals and their disgusting attitude towards women. They will be laughing their heads off, knowing they are being taken seriously by our so-called government at last.
- Jilly, London, 25/02/2009 13:21
Report abuse
Religious belief is just that a belief,will she be engaging with those that believe in tooth fairies and leprechauns or members of the flat earth society etc,of course she wont as the latter don't threaten and take action against those who don't share there beliefs.It appears that if you wont to gain this governments attention and tax payers money in the form of grants and some legitimacy, you only have to get radical and threaten violence, indeed as in some cases carry out acts of violence against those that don't agree with your beliefs.Some way to run a democracy,from my stand point its called appeasement,whats more it doesn't work.
- Kev, London-UK, 25/02/2009 12:58
Report abuse
Funny how this government always likes to let in certain extremists. At first the they ignore them, then they pander to them, what next? give in to them!
- Jon, London, 25/02/2009 12:58
Report abuse
Does she also want to engage with radical Christian leaders as well, or is this a one sided discussion. Will talkative Hazel now allow the Dutchman and two extreme Americans to enter the country which I very much doubt, or are they still banned. I don't agree with their views, but if we are going to have to listen to one side then all must be heard. The listening Government, er not really!
- Alan, Carlisle UK, 25/02/2009 12:04
Report abuse
Stop extremism by ejecting radicals.
Before it's too late,though sadly I think it is.
- Steve, London, 25/02/2009 12:00
Report abuse
One again Labour bending over backwards to listen fanatics who don't give a damn about this country whilst ignoring the views of those that do,roll on the next election.
- Stephen, London, 25/02/2009 11:34
Report abuse
I would of thought the present government would be considered radical an example the Iraq war,over 100,000 people dead!
- Matt, Harrow, 25/02/2009 11:18
Report abuse
We've had enough, if they don't want to be British then they should just clear off.
Expecting the Brits to bend over backwards to accommodate them has gone far enough. Democracy is something they just do not want.
- Ros, London UK, 25/02/2009 10:16
Report abuse
There is no point in talking to anybody with radical views; they will never change their minds.
- Casper Slides, France at the moment, 25/02/2009 10:13
Report abuse
