LONDON: Pro-Khalistan extremism and the radicalisation of British Muslims by rhetoric emanating from extremist clerics in Pakistan relating to blasphemy and Kashmir have been identified as among the emerging terrorist threats facing Britain.
The independent review of “Prevent”, the UK government-led programme to prevent British people being drawn into terrorism, carried out by Commissioner for Public Appointments William Shawcross and published Wednesday, listed these among present and future terror threats facing the UK, alongside eco-terrorism, disruptive activities by the extreme Left and open support in the UK for Hamas.
“Prevent” is one of the four strands of the UK government counter-terrorism strategy.
The review was commissioned by Priti Patel when she was home secretary, and current home secretary Suella Braverman has accepted all the recommendations.
It states that “Prevent” “should be mindful” of pro-Khalistan extremism “emerging from the UK’s Sikh communities”. “A false narrative is disseminated by the tiny number of pro-Khalistan groups operating in the UK that the government is colluding with its counterpart in India to persecute Sikhs. Such groups’ narratives glorify violence carried out by the pro-Khalistan movement in India. While the current threat is low, praise for violence overseas and a simultaneous belief in a state-led campaign of repression domestically is a potentially toxic combination for the future,” it states.
The report notes that “it is common for narratives around blasphemy in the UK to have a connection back to hardline Pakistani clerics and the Khatme Nubuwwat movement, which has a well-established presence in Pakistan.” Shawcross writes he has “similar concerns over how rhetoric from Pakistan is impacting UK Muslim communities when it comes to inflaming anti-India sentiment, particularly around the subject of Kashmir.
“There is an element of crossover between those who seek to impose limits around blasphemy with those who voice incendiary rhetoric on Kashmir,” he writes.
“I have seen evidence of UK extremist groups, as well as a Pakistani cleric with a UK following, calling for the use of violence in Kashmir. I have also seen evidence demonstrating that flashpoints related to Kashmir leads to a significant surge in interest from UK Islamists,” Shawcross writes.
He expressed his concerns about the threat to free speech posed by accusations of “disrespecting Islam”. He described the way a teacher at a grammar school in Batley was forced into hiding on one such occasion.
“This has potential relevance to Prevent, as there are examples of those convicted of terrorism offences in the UK who had first fought in Kashmir. This includes those who subsequently joined al-Qa’ida,” the report warns.
The report said that Islamist terrorism continued to be the largest terrorist threat facing the UK but that at “Prevent” there was “a culture of timidity tackling Islamism”.
The Sikh Federation (UK) said: “The review has failed to acknowledge the current and growing threat from Hindutva and unnecessarily made reference to the Sikh community where there is no threat.”
The independent review of “Prevent”, the UK government-led programme to prevent British people being drawn into terrorism, carried out by Commissioner for Public Appointments William Shawcross and published Wednesday, listed these among present and future terror threats facing the UK, alongside eco-terrorism, disruptive activities by the extreme Left and open support in the UK for Hamas.
“Prevent” is one of the four strands of the UK government counter-terrorism strategy.
The review was commissioned by Priti Patel when she was home secretary, and current home secretary Suella Braverman has accepted all the recommendations.
It states that “Prevent” “should be mindful” of pro-Khalistan extremism “emerging from the UK’s Sikh communities”. “A false narrative is disseminated by the tiny number of pro-Khalistan groups operating in the UK that the government is colluding with its counterpart in India to persecute Sikhs. Such groups’ narratives glorify violence carried out by the pro-Khalistan movement in India. While the current threat is low, praise for violence overseas and a simultaneous belief in a state-led campaign of repression domestically is a potentially toxic combination for the future,” it states.
The report notes that “it is common for narratives around blasphemy in the UK to have a connection back to hardline Pakistani clerics and the Khatme Nubuwwat movement, which has a well-established presence in Pakistan.” Shawcross writes he has “similar concerns over how rhetoric from Pakistan is impacting UK Muslim communities when it comes to inflaming anti-India sentiment, particularly around the subject of Kashmir.
“There is an element of crossover between those who seek to impose limits around blasphemy with those who voice incendiary rhetoric on Kashmir,” he writes.
“I have seen evidence of UK extremist groups, as well as a Pakistani cleric with a UK following, calling for the use of violence in Kashmir. I have also seen evidence demonstrating that flashpoints related to Kashmir leads to a significant surge in interest from UK Islamists,” Shawcross writes.
He expressed his concerns about the threat to free speech posed by accusations of “disrespecting Islam”. He described the way a teacher at a grammar school in Batley was forced into hiding on one such occasion.
“This has potential relevance to Prevent, as there are examples of those convicted of terrorism offences in the UK who had first fought in Kashmir. This includes those who subsequently joined al-Qa’ida,” the report warns.
The report said that Islamist terrorism continued to be the largest terrorist threat facing the UK but that at “Prevent” there was “a culture of timidity tackling Islamism”.
The Sikh Federation (UK) said: “The review has failed to acknowledge the current and growing threat from Hindutva and unnecessarily made reference to the Sikh community where there is no threat.”