home affairs select committee evidence

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INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE SECURITY, COUNTER-TERRORISM and THE COUNTER NARRATIVE SPEAKERS: Lt. Gen. Dambazau Rob Wainwright Keith Vaz MP Minister of the Interior Director General Chair , Home Affairs Government of Nigeria Europol Select Committee 1 O:OOam -4:00pm 121 st April 2016 Homerton College I Cambridge Tim loughton MP Ali Soufan Ameena Blake Simon Cole Dr Sara Silvestri Muhammed Butt Nusrat Ghani MP Home Affairs CEO Soufan Group Muslim Council of Chief Constable, City University London Leader, Brent Council Home Affairs Select Select Committee USA Britain National Lead Prevent Committee Prof Geoffrey Ward, Lord Ahmad Naz Shah MP lawrence Ward Dr Lydia Wilson Mark Simmonds Zahed Amanullah 1 Principal, Homerton Minister for Home Affairs Global Head of Security University of Oxford Head of the Counter Institute for Strategic I College Countering Extremism Soloct Committee PA Consulting Group Extremism Project Dialogue

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INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE SECURITY, COUNTER-TERRORISM and THE COUNTER NARRATIVE SPEAKERS: Lt. Gen. Dambazau Rob Wainwright Keith Vaz MP Minister of the Interior Director General Chair, Home Affairs Government of Nigeria Europol Select Committee 1O:OOam -4:00pm 21 st April 2016 Homerton College I Cambridge

TRANSCRIPT

Page 1: Home Affairs Select Committee evidence

INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE SECURITY, COUNTER-TERRORISM

and THE COUNTER NARRATIVE

SPEAKERS:

Lt. Gen. Dambazau Rob Wainwright Keith Vaz MP Minister of the Interior Director General Chair, Home Affairs Government of Nigeria Europol Select Committee

1 O:OOam -4:00pm 121 st April 2016

Homerton College I Cambridge

Tim loughton MP Ali Soufan Ameena Blake Simon Cole Dr Sara Silvestri Muhammed Butt Nusrat Ghani MP Home Affairs CEO Soufan Group Muslim Council of Chief Constable, City University London Leader, Brent Council Home Affairs Select Select Committee USA Britain National Lead Prevent Committee

Prof Geoffrey Ward, Lord Ahmad Naz Shah MP lawrence Ward Dr Lydia Wilson Mark Simmonds Zahed Amanullah 1

Principal, Homerton Minister for Home Affairs Global Head of Security University of Oxford Head of the Counter Institute for Strategic I College Countering Extremism Soloct Committee PA Consulting Group Extremism Project Dialogue

Page 2: Home Affairs Select Committee evidence

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HOME AFFAIRS SELECT COMMITTEE COUNTERING EXTREMISM CONFERENCE

Homerton College, Cambridge, 21 April2016

Registration and coffee

Welcome by Professor Geoffrey Ward, Principal of Homerton College

Welcome by Rt Hon Keith Vaz MP, Committee Chairman

Keynote Speech: Chief Constable Simon Cole, NPCC lead for Prevent

Panel: Tackling Radica/isation and the Counter-Extremism Strategy

Chair: Tim Loughton MP, Home Affairs Select Committee

Cllr Muhammad Butt, leader, london Borough of Brent

Fiyaz Mughal OBE, Founder and Director, Faith Matters

Dr Sara Silvestri, Senior lecturer, City University london

Panel: Tackling Terrorism - Security and Policing

Chair: Nusrat Ghani MP, Home Affairs Select Committee

lawrence Ward, Global Head of Security, PA Consulting & former Serjeant at Arms

Rt Hon Mark Simmonds, COO, Counter Extremism Project

Dr lydia Wilson, Research Fellow, University of Oxford

George Selim, Director, Countering Violent Extremism Task Force, US State Department

Keynote Speech: Ali Soufan, CEO Soufan Group

Lunch

Keynote Speech: Rob Wainwright, Director of Europol

Panel: Developing the Counter Narrative

Chair: Naz Shah MP, Home Affairs Select Committee

Zahed Amanullah, Head of Counter Narratives, Institute for Strategic Dialogue

Ameena Blake, Assistant Secretary General, Muslim Council of Britain

Murtaza Shaikh, Co-Director, Averroes

Rafat AI Akhali, Fellow, University of Oxford and former Yemeni Minister for Youth

Keynote Speech: lord Ahmad, Minister for Countering Extremism

Final Keynote Speech: Lt. Gen. Dambazau, Minister for Internal Affairs, Nigeria

Closing remarks by Rt Hon Keith Vaz MP, Committee Chairman

END

Page 3: Home Affairs Select Committee evidence

Terms of Reference

HOME AFFAIRS SELECT COMMITTEE COUNTERING EXTREMISM INQUIRY

HOME AFFAIRS COMMITTEE LAUNCHES INQUIRY INTO EXTREMISM IN BRITAIN

The Home Affairs Committee on 27 August 2015 announced an inquiry into the Government's new five year strategy into countering extremism.

The Committee is looking at issues including:

• The major drivers of, and risk factors for recruitment to, terrorist movements linked to extremism.

• How effective is the Prevent strategy and what have been the problems with it? Including:

o responding to the ideological challenge of terrorism and the threat the UK faces from those who promote it?

o working with sectors and institutions where there are risks of radicalisation?

o preventing people from being drawn into terrorism and ensuring that they are given appropriate advice and support?

• How effective is the Channel programme at: o identifying individuals at risk; o assessing the nature and extent of that risk; and o developing the most appropriate support plan for the individuals

concerned?

• How successfully is the Home Office collaborating with international allies, social media companies and civil society organisations to counter online extremism?

• What international comparisons can be made with the Home Office's counter­extremism strategy?

• How can returning foreign fighters be rehabilitated and reintegrated?

The Committee intends its inquiry to inform implementation of the Government's new strategy.

Inquiry webpage: http://www. pari iament. uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commons­select/home-affairs-committee/inquiries/parliament-2015/countering-extremism/

Page 4: Home Affairs Select Committee evidence

House of Commons

Home Affairs Committee

Countering Extremism Conference Homerton College, Cambridge

Thursday 21 April 2016

Page 5: Home Affairs Select Committee evidence

Welcome

Welcome to the Home Affairs Committee's conference on Countering Extremism today on Thursday 21 st April 2016.

Radicalisation, extremism and terrorism now represent some of the leading challenges for policy­makers, police & security services, and communities across the country.

The Home Affairs Select Committee launched its major inquiry into these issues in August 2015, and has since heard evidence from a wide range of voices, which range from Home Office Ministers, to leading representatives from the Muslim Community and to three of the largest internet companies in the world. Today's conference will be the final part of this inquiry.

We are therefore delighted that we have the opportunity to hear today from some of the world's leading experts on countering extremism. Chief Constable Simon Cole is the NPCC lead for Neighbourhood Policing, and is also responsible for tackling these issues in the city I represent, Leicester; Ali Soufan is an internationally renowned counter terrorism expert; Rob Wainwright is the current Director of Europol, which coordinates cross-border policing and counter-terrorism efforts across the EU.

We are also very pleased to be joined by Lt Gen Dambazau, Minister for the Interior of Nigeria, who has responsibility for the security and immigration services for a population of 173 million people.

It is with these international perspectives and expert views that the Committee seeks to understand how can promote tolerance and succeed in preventing radicalisation at the grass-roots level. We know the extent of the challenge, and today we hope to hear solutions.

Rt Hon Keith Vaz M P Chairman of the Committee

Page 6: Home Affairs Select Committee evidence

Committee Members' Profiles

Rt Hon Keith Vaz MP, Chair (Labour, Leicester East}

Keith Vaz was first elected in June 1987 and was subsequently re-elected as a Member of Parliament 7 times. He was the first person of Asian origin to sit in the House of Commons since 1922. He was Britain's Minister for Europe under Tony Blair. He was elected Chairman of the Home Affairs Select Committee in 2007 by a vote of the whole house and was re-elected in 2010 and in June 2015.

In 2006 he was appointed by the then Prime Minister to chair the National Executive Committee's Ethnic Minority Taskforce, a position he still holds. In 2007 he was elected as a member of the Labour Party's ruling National Executive Committee. His other interests include health policy, Yemen and the European Union, and he is currently Chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Groups on Yemen and Diabetes. He has been appointed as a Member of the Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy (JCNSS) in the 2015-2020 Parliament.

Victoria Atkins MP (Conservative, Louth and Horncastle}

Since her election in 2015; Victoria has spoken up for the constituency of Louth & Horncastle on a range of issues, including the provision of rural broadband, defence, wind turbines and the importance of tackling extremism. She has also been elected to sit on the Home Affairs Select Committee, and is Vice Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Groups on Diabetes and on Broadband.

Victoria was the first member of her family to go to university, reading law at Cambridge University. She specialised in prosecuting serious organised crime and found it a privilege to represent the decent, law-abiding majority in her work prosecuting hardened crimina ls. She has prosecuted internationa l drug trafficking rings, gun-runners and fraudsters who steal £100s million from British taxpayers. She is one of only 30 advocates in England and Wales appointed to the prestigious Attorney General's Regulators Panel and the Serious Fraud Office's List of specialist fraud prosecutors. She hopes to put her experiences in the criminal courts to good use in the political world.

James Berry MP (Conservative, Kingston and Surbiton}

James worked as a self-employed barrister for eight years prior to becoming an MP in 2015, specialising in healthcare and police law, and in particular prosecuting police misconduct and corruption. He is passionate about improving social aspiration through education, something he highlighted in his maiden speech.

He was selected by local Conservatives in December 2013 and launched local campaigns to "Support our Small Shops" with 30 Minutes Free Parking and for more police officers in Kingston, both of which were successful. James is now working hard on a variety of local campaigns, which have grown out of discussions he has had with local residents across the Borough. James regularly volunteers as a dining companion at Kingston Hospital and enjoys getting involved in local green projects.

Mr David Burrowes MP (Conservative, Enfield, Southgate}

David was first elected as the MP for Enfield Southgate in May 2005 and i n May 2015 he was elected for a third term. David is an Executive Member of Conservative MPs' influential backbench 1922 Committee and Chairman of its Justice Committee. He is a member of the Home Affairs Select Committee. David is interested in the policy areas of social justice, criminal justice and the family, with a focus on drug and alcohol rehabilitation, homelessness, refugees, and the disabled. He also champions human dignity from the beginning to end of life.

In this Parliament David has spoken up on a number of key issues which have led to changes in Government policy and legislation. For example David led the call for more Syrian refugees to be accepted in the UK; he successfully led the cross party opposition to assisted suicide and the relaxation of Sunday Trading laws, he supported the blanket ban on the supp ly of so called 'le ' and hel event cuts to disabil benefits.

Page 7: Home Affairs Select Committee evidence

Nusrat Ghani MP (Conservative, Wealden)

Nus Ghani was elected to Parliament in May 2015. After university Nus initially worked at an investment bank, but realised she wanted to use her campaigning instincts and change things for the better. With a strong interest in health policy, she worked for Age UK and for Breakthrough Breast Cancer. Both jobs allowed her to come into contact with politicians, and a growing realisation that politics does matter.

During her time working on education and health campaigns for the BBC World Service in conflict zones she came to fully appreciate UK democracy, and she returned to the UK determined to put her grass roots campaigning experiences to use and to give back through public service. She has previously stood at the 2010 General Election in Birmingham Ladywood and was also Deputy Chairman for the Brentford and lsleworth Conservatives Association.

Mr Ranil Jayawardena MP (Conservative, North East Hampshire)

Ranil Jayawardena was elected in May 2015. He was previously a local Councillor, serving as Deputy Leader of The Borough of Basingstoke and Deane until he was selected at a US~tyle 'open primary' ahead of the General Election in 2015 to be the Conservative Party's Parliamentary candidate for North East Hampshire, which he won. Following the election, Ranil was quickly elected by fellow MPs to the Home Affairs Select Committee and also unanimously elected as the Chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.

Ranil has commercial experience working for one of Britain's biggest financial institutions -Lloyds Banking Group pic - in the City of London. He remains a Freeman of the City of London and a Fellow of the RSA.

Tim Loughton MP (Conservative, East Worthing and Shoreham)

Tim Loughton has been MP for East Worthing and Shoreham since the 1997 general election. He was Shadow Mi nister for Environment from 2000-01, and Shadow Min ister for Health and Children from 2003-10. He was appointed Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Children and Families following the 2010 General Election - a position he held until201 2 - during which time he led on several areas of successful reform in child protection, child sexual explo itation and adoption in particular.

Tim has been a member of the Home Affairs Select Committee since November 2014. He is also Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Children and continues to champion the cause of vulnerable children and giving a voice to young people. He is Chairman of the trustees of the Parent & Infant Partnership UK (PIP UK) charity and also became chairman of the Attachment Policy Group (APG) in 2013. Tim is also an active member of a number of other Parliamentary groups covering a wide range of issues, including chairing the APPGs for Archaeology, the British Museum, Wine and Spirits, Mindfulness, and Tibet.

Stuart C. McDonald MP (Scottish National Party, Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirk intilloch East)

Stuart McDonald is the SNP Spokesperson on Immigration, Asylum and Border Control and he serves on the Home Affairs Select Committee . Stuart trained and worked in the legal profession for eight years both in the capital and in Glasgow: first in private practice, then with the NHS and finally in the third sector as a human rights solicitor.

In 2009, Stuart made the switch into politics taking up research posts with Shirley-Anne Somerville MSP and then Jim Eadie MSP at the Scottish Parliament. This lead on to the role of head of information at Yes Scotland during the referendum campa ign. Finally, Stuart worked for the Coalition for Racial Equality and Rights as Parliamentary and Public Affairs Officer.

Page 8: Home Affairs Select Committee evidence

Naz Shah MP (Labour, Bradford West}

Naz Shah entered Parliament at the 2015 General Election. A women's rights campaigner, she is a former chair of mental health charity Sharing Voices Bradford the largest BAME mental health charity outside of London. She previously worked as a carer for children and adults with disabilities and spent time as a NHS Commissioner and director of a regional leadership program for local government.

Since been elected in May 2015, Naz has become a Member of the Home Affairs Select committee and has a particular passion in working on issues around the Prevent program, lslamophobia, integration, social mobility and poverty. She has recently become the Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Shadow Chancellor the Rt Hon John McDonnell.

Mr Chuka Umunna MP (Labour, Streatham}

Chuka Umunna was selected by Streatham Labour Party to be Labour's parliamentary candidate in March 2008. He retained the seat for Labour at the May 2010 General Election, and was re­elected at the 2015 General Election.

In 2011 Chuka was appointed Shadow Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills and held the role until autumn 2015. He is currently Chair of Parliament's All Party Parliamentary Group on social integration, and he sits on the Home Affairs Committee. He is Chair of the ongoing independent inquiry into the Labour Party's support amongst Britain's Ethnic Minorities and also sits on the advisory board of the Centre for Progressive Capitalism. Prior to joining politics, he specialised as a solicitor in employment law and acted for both employees and employers for just under a decade.

David Winnick MP (Labour, Walsall North}

David Winnick was first elected a councillor in 1959, and in 1966 was elected to the House of Commons for a Croydon constituency. Since 1979 Mr Winnick has been Member of Parliament for Walsall North. He was re-elected as the Member for Walsall North for then inth time in May 2015.

A member of the Home Affairs Select Committee since 1997, he has argued for and fully supported a declaration of freemason membership by all those involved in the judiciary process and the police. In 2005 he wrote an amendment to the Home Affairs Select Committee report on identity cards, and which opposed their introduction. He continues to be an active and senior member of this committee in all the inquiries undertaken.

Page 9: Home Affairs Select Committee evidence

Speaker profiles In the order that they will address the conference.

r

Lord Ahmad, Minister for Countering Extremism, Home Office

Lord Ahmad was appointed Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Transport and Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Home Office in May 2015. He is a member of the House of Lords. Lord Ahmad was raised to the peerage in 2011 and served as a party whip before being appointed to government. He was vice-chairman of the Conservative Party between 2008 and 2010 with responsibility for cities. He also served as a Councillor (Wimbledon Park) and Cabinet Member in the London Borough of Merton between 2002 to 2012.

Lord Ahmad has spent 20 years working in banking and finance, including at the NatWest Group where he was a senior manager in corporate banking and financia l markets. He was later vice­president and Marketing Director of Alliance Bernstein and Strategy and Marketing Director at Sucden Financial.

Simon Cole QPM, Chief Constable Leicestershire Police, NPCC Lead for Prevent

Simon Cole QPM took up his position as Chief Constable of Leicestershire in June 2010. He is responsible for leading the Force as it seeks to protect its communities, heading up the Chief Officer Team, and working with key external partners on behalf of local people. In 2015 Simon was asked to lead work for the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) on the Prevent strategy to counter radica lisation.

Loca lly Simon represents the Force on the Strategic Partnership Board, working w ith partners from all over the Force area to reduce crime and antisocial behaviour. He also chairs the multi-agency Local Resilience Forum and the Force Executive Group, as well as representing the Force in working with the Police and Crime Commissioner. Simon is chair of the East Midlands Regional Chief Constables Meeting, leading collaborative work across the region. Simon is a member of the Advisory Board of the University of Leicester's Centre for Hate Studies.

Cllr Muhammad Butt, Leader, London Borough of Brent Council

Cllr Butt was first elected as Leader of the Council in May 2012, re-e lected in May 2014 and, as Leader, he has prioritised creating jobs for local people, investing in affordable housing and protecting Brent's most vulnerable residents. His most recent election campaign focused on plans to build 300 affordable new homes in Brent. He is passionate about strengthening relations within Brent's community, to make the diverse borough more resilient and fairer for all.

Over the years, Cllr Butt has owned several businesses in Brent and has previously worked for BT as an engineer and for the then Department for Health and Social Security in project management. Cllr Butt entered politics after becoming involved in commun ity campaigning and advocacy for residents in his local area.

Fiyaz Mughal OBE, Founder and Director, Faith Matters

Faith Matters works on reducing extremism and developing platforms for discourse and interac­tion between Muslim, Sikh, Christian and Jewish communities right across the UK. It also works extensively on community cohesion, interfaith, conflict resolution and countering extremism pro­grammes at a local, national and international level. Fiyaz is also the founder and Director of the nationa l anti-Muslim hate crime monitoring project called TELL MAMA.

Fiyaz has worked in a number of organizations providing training to women right through to European transnationa l faith related programmes and advice and information projects. This includes over 15 years' experience in the community and voluntary sector in positions that have included socia l policy lobbying, project and general management, conflict resolut ion work and leading organizations as the Chief Operating Officer. Fiyaz was previously a Councillor in Haringey (2006-2010) and a Council lor in Oxford (2002-2004). He was appointed to the Working Group for Communities linked to the Extremism Task Force developed after the 7n bombings.

Page 10: Home Affairs Select Committee evidence

Dr Sara Silvestri, Senior Lecturer International Polit ics, City University London

Dr Silvestri is Senior Lecturer in the International Politics Department at City University London. She is also Affiliated Lecturer at POLIS (University of Cambridge) and a bye-fellow of St Edmund's college. Her research focuses on various dimensions of Musl im polit ica l mob ilisation, lslamism, and the role of faith-based actors in European public pol icy. She has been awarded research grants and consultancies by multiple bodies to study: the impact of terrorism and counter-terrorism on Irish and Muslim communities in the UK, religion and conflict, religion and foreign policy, and issues at the intersection of migration, multicu lturalism, and security.

As an expert in these f ields Dr Silvestri has also worked in the cabinet of the European Commission's President and has led the 'Islam in Europe' programme for the think tank European Policy Centre in Brussels. Sara has advised a range of government agencies including: the UK Home Office, DFID, FCO, BIS, the German Ministry of Migration, and the Canadian Federal Government, as well as the UN, the EU, and the Anna Lindh Foundation.

Ali Souf an, CEO, Soufan Group

Ali Soufan is the Chief Executive Officer of The Soufan Group, which prov ides strategic security intelligence services to governments and multinational organizations. Mr. Soufan is a former FBI Supervisory Special Agent who investigated and supervised highly sensitive and complex internationa l terrorism cases, including the East Africa Embassy Bombings, the attack on the USS Cole, and the events surrounding 9111. Mr. Soufan also serves as a member of the US Homeland Security Advisory Council . He is the author of The New York Times Top 10 Bestseller, "The Black Banners: The Inside Story of 9/11 and the War Against al Qaeda."

Mr. Soufan had a distinguished career in the FBI, including serving on the Joint Terrorist Task Force, FBI New York Office, where he coordinated both domestic and international counterterrorism operations. He has received numerous commendations for his counter-terrorism work, inc luding the Director of the FBI's Awa rd for Excellence in Investigation, the Respect for Law Enf orcement Award and a commendation f rom the U.S. Department of Defense that labelled him "an important weapon in the ongoing war on terrorism."

Lawrence Ward, Global Head of Security PA Consulting and former Serjeant-at­

Arms

As Globa l Head of Security for PA Consulting, Lawrence is responsible for the security of a global company operating from offices across the world, in Europe, North America, Asia, and Oceania. Until2015, Lawrence was the Serjeant at Arms at the House of Commons with overa ll responsible for the security and access to the House. This high profile and historic role presents significant challenges to ensure the right of access for Members and the public whilst balancing increased security threats.

Between 2005 and 2008, Lawrence formed a consortium that included the Security Services, Government departments and the Department for Homeland Security in the US to develop the pan-government mail security facility. He also managed the Metropolitan Police Contract with Parliament - its largest contract- delivering improved standards and efficiencies.

Rt Hon Mark Simmonds, COO, Counter Extremism Project

The Rt Hon Mark Simmonds is COO of the Counter Extremism Project UK and is a Senior Advisor at Kroll. Under the previous Government he served as the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office Minister with responsibility for Africa, the Caribbean and Conflict Resolution . Mark has chaired the United Nations Security Council on two occasions. The Counter Extremism Project Europe (CEP Europe), is an organisation Jed by former diplomats, government officials and private-sector leaders from the United States, Be lgium, Germany and the United Kingdom, which works to bring together a globa l force to combat extremism. The Project was launched in Brussels in June 2015.

Page 11: Home Affairs Select Committee evidence

Dr Lydia Wilson, Research Fellow, University of Oxford

Lydia Wilson is a Research Fellow at the Centre for the Resolution of Intractable Conflict, Harris Manchester College, University of Oxford, a Senior Fellow and Fie ld Director at Artis International, and holds affiliated research positions at the University of Cambridge and City University New York. Her current research invo lves extensive fieldwork in the Middle East exploring motivations and pathways to violence, interviewing a range of those involved in conflicts. Lydia holds a PhD in medieval Arabic philosophy, an MPhil in History and Philosophy of Science and a BA in Natural Sciences, all from the University of Cambridge. She edits the Cambridge Literary Review and writes journalism as well as academic articles. A book on ISIS, based on experiences on the ground, is in preparation.

George Selim, Director, Countering Violent Extremism Task Force, U.S.

Department of Homeland Security

George Selim is the first Director of the Office for Community Partnerships at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Secretary Jeh Johnson established the office in September 2015 to build relationships and promote trust with loca l communities, and to support innovative community based programs to counter violent extremism (CVE). In 2016, George was also selected to lead the new interagency CVE Task Force to integrate and synchronize federal efforts addressing violent extremism and promoting community resilience. Before assuming these roles, George served for four years as the White House's Director for Community Partnerships on the National Security Council . Prior to working at the White House, George was senior policy advisor in the Office for Civil Rights and Civi l Liberties at DHS and the Department of Justice. George is a commissioned officer in the United States Navy Reserve.

Zahed Amanullah, Head of Counternarratives, Institute for Strategic Dialogue

Zahed Amanullah joined lSD in 2014, overseeing the Institute's work in developing a Counternarrative Innovation Hub, bringing the private sector together with activists, frontline workers, and relevant civil society networks to counter extremist propaganda and recruitment. He has extensive experience in social entrepreneurship, creating and managing on and offline resources using technology to combat radicalisation, hate speech, and to promote critical ana lysis of issues regarding Muslim communities.

He is the Chair of the Concordia Forum, a global network of leaders from Muslim backgrounds that holds conferences and exclusive retreats annually. He has served as Chief Media Officer at Unitas Communications Ltd., a leading communications agency specialising in the interface between the Is lamic world and the West and is the former Executive Editor of altmuslim.com.

Ameena Blake, Assistant Secretary General, Muslim Council of Britain

Ameena has been an English teacher for the past 14 years with expertise in the area of English as an additional language and has held roles such as Head of English Department, Assistant Head Teacher and School Senior leader. Currently, Ameena is working on a project to set up women's hostels to support the victims of domestic abuse, forced marriage and other women who need a home. She is also involved in organisational consultancy which offers support with strategic planning, staff training, leadership development and also improvement for schools and organisations.

Mohammed Nizami, Co-Director, Averroes

Mohammed focuses on political theory, the framework for democratic engagement and wider ideas on democratic theory, citizenship, and framing Islam as a western religious tradition. He also specialises in Islamic law and legal theory, contemporary theology in pol itics, interpretive methods for re ligious scripture, and Islamic jurisprudence in relation to western Muslim minorities. He has authored reports for international NGOs and served on the advisory board of a number of Muslim organisations on matters related to religion, politics and social engagement. He engages and educates British Muslims in the capacity of Visiting Islamic Scholar to Kingston Mosque, as well as lecturing at various re ligious institutions around London.

Page 12: Home Affairs Select Committee evidence

Rafat AI-Akhali, Fellow, University of Oxford and former Yemeni Minister for Youth and Sports

Rafat A li AI-Akhali is a Fellow of Practice at the Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford. He was appointed Minister of Youth and Sports in the Government of Yemen in November 2014, a position he he ld ti II September 2015. Rafat previously worked as a senior consultant and ana lyst for organizations such as PricewaterhouseCoopers and IBM in Canada. He has also worked in the field of development with a number of international development agencies in Yemen, and was a member of the Accessions Division at the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Geneva where he participated in the accession process of severa l countries including Yemen. Rafat is a non-resident fe llow at the Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East at the Atlantic Council, and a member of the Board of Advisors for the "GCC in Transition" project at Chatham House.

Rob Wainwright, Director of Europol

Mr Wainwright was appointed Director of Europol in Apri l 2009. He was reappointed for a second term in 2013, having overseen Europol's transition from intergovernmental organisation to EU agency status in 2010, ensured Europol's pivotal position in the new EU Policy Cycle for serious and organised crime from 2011, and secured the establishment of the European Cybercrime Centre (EC3) at Europol in 2013. During his tenure, the number of cases initiated at Europol has more than doubled, to close on 35,000 in 2014, and Europol has significantly strengthened its portfolio of operational support tools and services, most recently via the creation of the EU Internet Referral Unit (IRU} and the reinforcement of Europol's work to tackle migrant smuggling.

Between 2000 and 2003, Mr Wainwright was the Head of the UK liaison Bureau at Europol, and also responsible for the Europol National Unit in London. The Liaison Bureaux are a key link in Europol's cooperation with the EU Member States. In 2003, he was promoted to the position of Director International of the National Criminal Intelligence Service (NCIS}, where he was responsible for its internationa l operations and for developing and implementing the UK strategy against facilitated illega l immigration. He also managed the UK's National Central Bureau for Interpol and its Europol National Unit. Between 2006 and 2009, he was Chief of the International Department of the UK Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA).

Lt. Gen. Dambazau, Minister for Internal Affairs, Nigeria

Abdulrahman Be llo Dambazau is a retired Nigerian Army lieutenant General and Nigeria's current Minister of the Interior. He was appointed Minister by President Muhammadu Buhari in November 2015. He served as Chief of Army Staff (COAS) between 2008 and 2010.

Lt. Gen. Dambazau has also served as a military police officer, Aide De Camp to the Chief of Army Staff (1979}, commanded military police units and served as a Specia l Investigator (1984-1985). He was Registrar of the Nigerian Defence Academy from 1993 to 1999, and also served as Chief Instructor, Support Weapon Wing of the Infantry Centre and School from 1999 to 2001 and later as Directing Staff at the National War College from 2004 to 2006. From 2007-2008 he served as Genera l Officer Commanding (GOC) 2nd Division, lbadan.

The Federal Ministry of the Interior is tasked with providing complementary interna l security and other ancillary services within Nigeria. The Ministry of Interior was formed in 2007 after the Ministry of Internal Affairs merged with the Ministry of Police Affairs. The Ministry formulates and implements pol icies related to border management and supervises the National Immigration Service

Page 13: Home Affairs Select Committee evidence

Contributors to Countering Extremism inquiry

These organisations and individuals have given oral evidence • Muslim Council of Britain • Quilliam • East London Mosque Trust • Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Association UK • Rt Han Baroness Warsi • National Union of Students • Bethnal Green Academy • Professor Julius Weinberg, Vice-Chancellor, • Inspire Kingston University • CAGE Advocacy Ltd • Council for Mosques Bradford • Mark Rowley QPM, Assistant Commissioner • Konika Dhar

for Specialist Operations in the Metropolitan • David Anderson QC, Independent Reviewer Police of Terrorism Legislation

• Rt Han John Hayes MP, Minister for Security • Google • Charles Farr, Director General, Office for • Facebook

Security and Counter-Terrorism, Home Office • Twitter • Sir Charles Montgomery, Director General, • FAST (Families Against Stress and Trauma)

Border Force • Maslaha

These organisations and individuals have submitted written evidence • Dialogue Society • Fadel Soliman • Community Security Trust • Muslim Council of Britain • Counter Extremism Project UK • Inspire • The Henry Jackson Society • Border Force • National Association of Head Teachers • John Witherow, Editor, The Times • CAGE Advocacy UK Ltd • Moonshot 0/E • Charity Commission • Mark Rowley QPM, Metropolitan • Universities UK Pol ice • David Anderson Q.C. • Ahmadiyya Anjuman lsha

. a • European Council on Tolerance & • Naz Shah MP

Reconciliation • Institute for Strategic Dialogue • Maggie Beirne • Stig Abell, Managing Editor, The Sun • Tony Blair Faith Foundation • Rt Han Theresa May MP, Home Secretary • Averroes • Dr M. A Fazal • Claystone • Council for Mosques Bradford • Dr Francis Lankester • Index on Censorship • East London Mosque • Alison Jamieson • Mohammed Akunjee • Rt Han John Hayes MP, Minister for Security • Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Association UK • Twitter • Michael Gallagher • Google • Green Spring Education Trust • Facebook • PSHE Association • Community Safety Forum • Quilliam • Faith Matters • Abdus Sabur Qutubi • Mosques and Imams National Advisory Board • National Union of Students

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Page 14: Home Affairs Select Committee evidence

The Home Affairs Select Committee

Member

Rt Hon Keith Vaz (Cha ir) Victoria Atkins James Berry Mr David Burrowes Nusrat Ghani Mr Ranil Jayawardena Tim Loughton Stuart C. McDonald Naz Shah Mr Chuka Umunna Mr David Winnick

Committee Staff

Party and Constituency

Labour, Leicester East Conservative, Louth and Horncastle Conservative, Kingston and Surbiton Conservative, Enfield, Southgate Conservative, Wealden Conservative, North East Hampshire Conservative, East Worthing and Shoreham Scottish National Party, Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East Labour, Bradford West Labour, Streatham Labour, Walsa ll North

Carol Oxborough, Clerk of the Committee Phil Jones, Second Clerk of the Committee Peter Starn, Committee Specialist Kunal Mundul. Committee Specialist Andy Boyd, Senior Committee Assistant

Powers of the Committee The Home Affairs Committee is one of the departmental select committees, the powers of which are set out in House of Commons Standing Orders, principa lly in SO No 152.

The Committee consists of 11 Members of Parliament, drawn from the three largest political parties. The House of Commons appoints the Committee with the task of examining the expenditure, administration, and policy of the Home Office and its associated public bodies.

The Committee chooses its own subjects of inquiry and seeks written and oral evidence from a wide range of relevant groups and individuals. At the end of an inquiry the Committee will usually produce a report setting out its findings and making recommendations to the Government. The Government must respond to each of the report's recommendations within two months of publication.

Committee Reports Session 2015-16 All publications from the Committee are available on the Committee's website at http://www .pa rliament.uklbus i ness/committees/com m ittees-a-z/com mons-select/home-affairs­committee/publications/

First Report: Psychoactive substances - HC 361 (HC 755)

Second Report: The work of the Immigration Directorates (02 2015)- HC 512(HC 693)

Third Report: Police investigations and the role of the Crown Prosecution Service- HC 534

Fourth Report: Reform of the Police Funding Formula- HC 476

Fifth Report: Immigration: skill shortages- HC 429(HC 857)

Sixth Report: The work of the Immigration Directorates (03 2015)- HC 772

Seventh Report: Police and Crime Commissioners: here to stay - HC 844

Page 15: Home Affairs Select Committee evidence

Delegates

H. E. Adah Simon Ogah, Acting High Commissioner of Nigeria

Dr Adrian Dwyer OBE, British Transport Police

Cllr Afzal Shah, Bristol City Council

Alan Lyon, Metropolitan Police

Alex Leonhardt, Universities UK

Andrew Figgures, British Transport Police

Andrew Priest, Cheshire Constabulary

Andrew Mellor, European Union Advisory Mission I City of London Police

Cllr Ann Sinnott, Cambridge City Council

Anthony Stansfeld, Police and Crime Commissioner for Thames Valley

Bashir Chaudry MBE, League of British Muslims UK

Basit Javid, West Midlands Police

Dr Benjamin Lee, Lancaster University

Beverly Knight, West Sussex County Council

Brian Simmonds, East Herts District Council

Brittany Smith, Google

Calum Jeffray, Royal United Services Institute

Charles Loft, Local Government Association

Charlie Pericleous, Portsmouth City Council

Chris Byrne, Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary

Chris Murray, IPPR -Institute for Public Policy Research

Chris Singer, Warwickshire Police and West Mercia Police

Dave Anderson, North umbria Police

David Skevington, Suffolk Constabulary

H.E. Dumsile Sukata, The Kingdom of Swaziland High Commissioner

H.E. Edward Mohamed Turay, Sierra Leone High Commissioner

Esther McVey, British Transport Police

Farooq Aftab, Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Association UK

Frank Grutter, Embassy of Switzerland

Page 16: Home Affairs Select Committee evidence

Gavin Thomas, Police Superintendents' Association

Gemma Robinson, Southend on Sea Borough Council

Sir Graham Bright, Police and Crime Commissioner for Cambridgeshire

Gregg Banks, Police Scotland

Guy Pratt, Hertfordshire County Council

Habibur Rahman, East London Mosque

Haider Alkhateeb, Middlesex University

Hannah Daniel, Counter Extremism Project

Hannah Stuart, Henry Jackson Society

Dr Helen Fani , Iran Children Charity

lan Hassall, Merseyside Police

llknur Kahraman, Dialogue Society

lman Abou Atta, Faith Matters

Jo Attwooll, Universities UK

Joe Hayman, PSHE Association

Jon Shalom, Norfolk County Council

Jon Stratford, South Wales Police

Jonathan Este, The Conversation

Jonathan Russell, Quilliam

Joy Piper, Central Bedfordshire Council

Juma Sheha, Tanzania High Commission

Karim Palant, Facebook

Lauren Birch, Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Greater Manchester

Lee Han Yin, Singapore High Commission

Lorraine Hennessy, National Police Chiefs Council

Cllr Lucy Botting, Mole Valley District Council

Mak Chishty, Metropolitan Police

Dr Marat Shterin , King's College London

Mark Hopkins, Cambridgeshire Constabulary

Mark Powell , Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary

Page 17: Home Affairs Select Committee evidence

Dr Matthew Francis, University of Lancaster I Centre for Research and Evidence

on Security Threats

Matthew Lawler, Devon & Cornwall and Dorset Police

Prof Matthew Feldman, Teesside University

Matthew Thompson, Eastern Counter Terrorism Intelligence Unit

H.E. Md Abdul Hannan, Bangladesh High Commissioner

Michael Nelson, London Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime

Michelle Russell, Charity Commission

Miha Erman, Embassy of the Republic of Slovenia in London

Mohamed AI Harbi , Embassy of the United Arab Emirates

Moona Haque, Families Against Stress and Trauma

Muhammad Zeeshan Latif, Minhaj-ui-Quran international London

Murtaza Shaikh, Averroes

Mustafa Field MBE, Faith Forums for London

H.E. Nabil Ammar, Ambassador of Tunisia

H. E. Nasser Kamel , Ambassador of the Arab Republic of Egypt

H. E. Natalia Galibarenko, Ambassador of Ukraine

Nick Thompson, Kent Police

Paul Kennedy, North Yorkshire Police

Paul Stock, Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Leicestershire

Paul Thomas, University of Huddersfield

Peter Welby, TonyBiairFaithFoundation

Ricardo Morelli , Argentine Embassy in the United Kingdom

Richard Anderson Q.C., Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation

Richard Browning, West Yorkshire Police

Richard Cooper, Gloucestershire Constabulary

Richard Humphrey, Thames Valley Police

Richard Moore, West Midlands Police

Richard Woolford, City of London Police

Ron Ball , Police and Crime Commissioner for Warwickshire

Page 18: Home Affairs Select Committee evidence

Russ Foster, West Yorkshire Police

Cllr Russ McPherson, Cambridge City Council and Cambridge Regional College

S.O. Fehintola, Nigeria High Commission

Dr Saffron Karlsen, University of Bristol

Saleha Jaffer, Families Against Stress and Trauma .

Sally Goodwin, Derbyshire County Council

Salman Farsi, East London Mosque

Samantha Norman, Devon & Cornwall and Dorset Police

Dr Sarah Marsden, University of Lancaster

Imam Sayed Razawi, Faith Forums for London

Scott Waddington, Lancashire Constabulary

Seval Gokce, Mevlana Rumi Mosque

Simon Megicks, Hertfordshire Constabulary

Simon Quarrel!, Home Office

Stephen Bett, Police and Crime Commissioner for Norfolk

Stephen Pemberton, Lancashire Constabulary

Steven Hume, Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council

Suman Riaz, League of British Muslims UK

Sussanah Browne, Home Office

Tasnime Akunjee, Solicitor

Cllr Tony Aslam, Borough Council of Wellingborough

Turker Yllmaz, Turkish Embassy in London

Vicky Skeels, Cambridgeshire Constabulary

Wayne Jones, North Wales Police

Yousif AI-Khoei OBE, AI-Khoei Foundation, Mosques and Imams National

Advisory Board

Taz
Highlight
Page 19: Home Affairs Select Committee evidence

Written evidence submitted by Mr Mohammed Akunjee

1. I am a defense solicitor working in the field of Terrorism and Terrorism

related offending. I have been engaged in this field of work within the context

of legal defence from late 1999 onwards.

2. Throughout the currency of my career I have had intrinsic experience with the

narratives of various proscribed organisations, terrorist organisations, as well

as a working engagement with the numerous tranches of terrorism related

legislation and their application through the prism of the Prevent strategy.

3. I have worked on cases concerning individuals who have been accused of an

affinity to terrorist organisations and on cases where the accused have traveled

to conflict zones and returned to their home countries.

4. In addition to my normal activities in my role as a defense lawyer I have also

been involved in matters relating to the repatriation of ‘regrettees’ (persons

who have traveled to conflict zones and then regretted their initial decision) in

a more direct and proactive capacity.

5. In June of this year I was involved in traveling to the border region of Turkey

and Syria to negotiate the release and repatriation of a female British citizen.

She had found herself in the custody of rebel forces operating in Syria.1 The

process of her retrieval involved negotiating with various parties including

elements within the authority structure of the UK, the Turkish authorities and

the rebel parties themselves.

6. In March 2015 I was involved in advising the families of the three schoolgirls

(Shamima Begum, Khadiza Sultana and Amira Abase) who left Bethnal Green

Academy (BGA). The girls had travelled from East London to ISIS controlled

Syria2; indeed I had given evidence to this committee on that subject at that

time3. Some of the same process outlined above were employed in the BGA

1 http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/news/uk/article4477337.ece

2 https://news.vice.com/article/left-in-the-dark-the-story-behind-the-families-of-three-girls-groomed-by-the-islamic-state

3 http://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commons-select/home-affairs-committee/news/150306-ct-ev/

Page 20: Home Affairs Select Committee evidence

schoolgirls situation in order to achieve contact between the girls and their

families. In this case social media, namely the Twitter campaign

‘#callhomegirls’, was deployed to positive effect4.

7. I have advised individuals and entities in the UK and abroad on their

operations and the framework of the laws applicable to them in their activities

pertinent to assisting people escaping from conflict zones. I have also advised

entities with respect to the provision of humanitarian aid to Syria and Syrian

refugees in Jordan and Turkey.

8. From the experiences outlined above and being mindful of my responsibilities

as a solicitor to the strictures of legal professional privilege I have attempted

to provide some answer to the question “what motivates people to leave the

UK and aid the conflict in Syria”.

Tipping Point

9. The question in focus is what factors contribute to causing young British

people to leave the safety of the UK and expose themselves to the deadly risks

and discomfort of a war zone.

10. From my experience both, direct and anecdotal, such travelers fall broadly in

to three categories:

a) The Aid Worker

b) The Just War Protagonist

c) Supporters of the ISIS Caliphate

11. All three have different reasons for engaging in conflict related activity. It is

not uncommon to find deep stresses within the family dynamic of such people,

however the initial common impetus on the reasoning leading to travel is

empathy, usually based upon viewing the suffering of others on the

mainstream news media (something which Lord Prescott correctly identified)5.

4 https://twitter.com/elondonmosque/status/580690677144674304?s=08

5 http://news.sky.com/story/1444796/prescott-links-blair-crusades-to-radicalisation

Page 21: Home Affairs Select Committee evidence

The second most important factor is foreign policy – namely the perception of

a biased foreign policy affected by the UK and others which creates war or

promotes suffering of civilian populations when war subsists6. Oft cited

examples of this are: Gulf War II, the ongoing conflict in Palestine and the

invasion of Afghanistan. A compounding factor is the perceived bias from

sections of the media surrounding these issues7. Such individuals then feel it is

their ‘duty’ to redress the balance within their personal sphere of

influence/ability and therefore fall into one of the three subsets above.

12. All three groups display a highly developed sense of social responsibility,

concept of justice and sense of personal responsibility for others. However,

particularly in the third class of traveller such notions are expressed

exclusively for those who support ISIS or sometimes, but to a lesser extent, for

Muslims generally.

THREE TYPES OF TRAVELLERS

Humanitarian Aid Worker

13. Genuine aid worker wishing to alleviate pain and suffering of the Syrian

people as result of the on-going civil war.

14. Examples of who they are:

Alan Henning8

David Haines9

Kaiser Khan10

6 http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/labour/11471452/Lord-Prescott-says-Tony-Blairs-bloody-crusades-radicalised-Muslims.html

7 http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2015/11/19/john-simpson-british-media-grotesquely-selective-in-reporting-terror-attacks_n_8606888.html

8 http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/sep/14/alan-henning-isis-syria-hostage-aid-worker

9 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-tayside-central-34222148

10 http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3079942/British-father-tells-taken-hostage-ISIS-murdered-aid-worker-

Page 22: Home Affairs Select Committee evidence

Problems

15. Despite engaging in humanitarian efforts aid workers and charities working

for relief programs in Syria have been targeted by the UK police for arrest11,

questioning and subsequent investigation by the Charity Commission. Muslim

Charities and Muslim aid workers have felt this acutely12 particularly under

William Shawcross13, Gwyn Prins14 and Peter Clarke15 involvement with the

Charity Commission. This has led to resentment and furthering the feeling of

the ‘us and them’ paradigm within the Muslim community.

Just War Proponents

16. These are individuals that believe in the struggle to overthrow the current

Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad and/or fight against ISIS.

17. Motivations for travelling are usually that ‘western governments’ are not

doing enough with respect to either Assad or ISIS.

18. Interestingly both Muslims and non-Muslims who travel to fight in a ‘just

war’ cite the following concepts under international law as justification for

their involvement in the conflict:

right to self-determination

right to self-defense as defined in international law and

sympathetically expressed in various iterations of Sharia law

(defensive Jihad)

Alan-Henning-let-Muslim.html

11 http://www.crawleynews.co.uk/EXCLUSIVE-Crawley-dad-reveals-held-hostage/story-26488279-detail/story.html

12 http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/nov/16/charity-commission-inquiries-muslim-groups

13 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/william-shawcross-profile-from-scourge-of-nixon-to-establishment-lackey-10487534.html

14 http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/commentators/gwyn-prins-the-man-is-a-tyrant-whose-time-has-come-the-war-must-be-fought-132027.html

15 http://www.spinwatch.org/index.php/issues/politics/item/5627-charity-commission-article

Page 23: Home Affairs Select Committee evidence

19. Examples of who they are

James Hughes16 & Jamie Read17

Kosta Scurfield18

Silhan Özçelik19

Abu Basir al-Britani20

Problems

20. The UK has a non-coherent policy toward returnees from this subset of

people. From the perspective of the Muslim community and Muslim returnees,

it appears that non-Muslim fighters with the PKK21 affiliate group YPG22 are

effectively immune from prosecution however; anyone else appears to be

subject to such prosecution.

21. The perceived racial/religious distinction in the operation of the terror-laws

leads to the promotion of the perception of a two-tier legal system within the

Muslim Community. Such perceived bias further alienates young Muslims and

contributes to to young people deciding to travel to Syria.

Those who want to join the ‘Islamic State’

16 http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/nov/22/uk-mercenaries-fighting-islamic-state-terrorist-syria

17 http://news.sky.com/story/1391780/former-uk-soldiers-compelled-to-fight-is

18 http://www.fhm.com/news/fighting-isis-british-soldier-scurfield-kosta-matt-blake

19 http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/nov/20/girl-becomes-first-briton-convicted-of-trying-to-join-fight-against-islamic-state-in-syria

20 http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3166531/British-jihadi-fighting-Syrian-rebel-group-condemns-ISIS-bombing-raids-civilians-promises-good-tidings-carries-revenge-attacks.html

21 https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/472956/Proscription-update-20151030.pdf

22 http://www.todayszaman.com/diplomacy_turkey-says-ypg-are-terrorists-pyd-just-a-political-party_404854.html

Page 24: Home Affairs Select Committee evidence

22. These people tend to be driven by the belief of the true Caliphate being

established in the body of ISIS.

23. Some of the above are motivated partially by ‘just war’ theory, however the

theory in these cases is simplified to a dualistic ‘us and them narrative’; ‘Us’

being ISIS; and ‘them’ being everyone else. Its expression is identical to the

Neo Conservative post 9/11 position as expressed by George W Bush in his

September 20th 2001 address to a joint session of congress:

“Every nation in every region now has a decision to make:

Either you are with us or you are with the terrorists.”23

24. There are broadly two types of people with different motivations who join

ISIS. A process of ‘temporal chromatography’ can be applied to differentiate

between the two:

Group A

25. This group tend to have joined pre-August 2014 (before ISIS public

beheadings). Their motivations for joining fall within the category of ‘Just

War Proponent’ (see above).

Group B

26. This groups motivations for joining ISIS revolve primarily around the desire

to assist ISIS in expanding its territory as far as possible. They are further

motivated by concepts of nation building to establish a territory where Islam

may be practiced to its fullest extent without ‘outside’ interference.

27. The general ‘push factors’ are similar across the board namely, the acute

feeling that their religion is under attack in western countries24and that they

are blocked from integrating into society due to societal bias against Muslims25

.

23 http://edition.cnn.com/2001/US/09/20/gen.bush.transcript/

24 http://bridge.georgetown.edu/online-resources-on-anti-muslim-bias-incidents/

25 http://www.mcb.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/fairnessnotfavours-MCB.pdf\

Page 25: Home Affairs Select Committee evidence

28. The ‘pull factors’ from ISIS drawing such people revolve around ideological

arguments demanding Muslims travel to their territory due to their claim of it

being the legitimate Caliphate.

29. A further factor drawing people to ISIS is that ISIS have an operational

benefits system whereby anyone who has traveled to join them is provided

with a stipend, housed and catered for at ‘state’ expense. This fact is the single

most important reason for the new phenomenon of very young UK citizens

and whole British families having chosen to go to ISIS controlled territory.

30. Examples of who they are:

Junaid Hussain26

Reyaad Khan27

The Mannan family28

Siddhartha Dhar29

Problems

31. Returnees from this class of traveller pose a number of problems and

opportunities; they would normally have travelled to Syria attracted to a

utopian idealism, having reached their destination they would have been

presented with the actuality of the situation, i.e. not a utopian ideal. Given the

push factors from the UK contributing toward their decision to leave will

normally subsist and indeed likely be further compounded (Media, Social

Services and Police interest in they and their families), they still have made

the decision to come home.

32. Such people present the best resource for dissuading others from taking the

same course30. The vast majority of these returnees will fall into this camp.

26 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-34078900

27 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-34178998

28 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/yes-we-have-joined-isis-say-missing-british-family-of-12-who-fled-to-syria-luton-islamic-state-isis-10365915.html

29 http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/islamic-state/11616783/Walthamstow-jihadi-posts-glowing-guide-to-life-in-cosmpolitan-Islamic-State.html

30 http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/sep/06/richard-barrett-mi6-isis-counter-terrorism

Page 26: Home Affairs Select Committee evidence

33. Security services will highlight the possibility that an element of these

returnees may well be ‘sleeper cells’ whose true intention for returning is to

perpetrate a terrorist attack on UK soil. Though this threat cannot be ruled out

completely, the fundamental difficulty for security services and police in

prevention of crime/terrorism is detection. With respect to ‘regrettees’ if there

were to be an open policy of reintegration into UK society, the detection

problem would not exist. Appropriate resources could then be focused on

persons assessed as particularly problematic.

General problems with current policy

34. Currently there appears no distinction in UK policy toward returnees from any

of the classes with respect to prosecution. There also remains no recognition

of the different motivations and experiences of people who have joined ISIS

pre August 2014 and post August 2014.

35. Indeed, current UK policy from the perspective of the Muslim community

seems to treat all returnees as potential subjects for terrorism charges save for

only two categories:

Non-Muslims who have traveled to Syria to join the YPG

Children who have traveled to Syria

36. Where there exists the perception of a two-tier criminal justice system31 with a

particular minority group as its focus32, it is difficult to contemplate anything

more corrosive to community cohesion than targeted and selective injustice.

37. Such perception of injustice and erosion of civil liberties on the back of

national security concerns have long been known to be counterproductive33.

Stella Remington stated in 2009 the following:

31 http://issuu.com/tasnimeakunjee/docs/finland_lecture_terrorism_rs/1

32 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWhDJX6tGpc&feature=youtu.be

33 http://www.theguardian.com/uk/2009/feb/17/government-exploiting-terrorism-fear

Page 27: Home Affairs Select Committee evidence

"It would be better that the government recognised that

there are risks rather than frightening people in order to be able

to pass laws which restrict civil liberties, [which is] precisely one

of the objects of terrorism: that we live in fear and under a

police state… I think people are fully aware that the more you

intrude into people's civil liberties, the more you set up

grievances for people to…. encourage people to do all the

unpleasant things that are going on…"34

38. Given that the UK threat level from international terrorism has not dropped

below ‘Substantial’ since 2006 (when such records began) despite the

implementation of over 10 pieces of terrorism related legislation designed to

counter terrorism and extremism, it can only be concluded that Ms

Remington’s words have been proved correct.

UK Threat Level History

Fig 1. UK threat level over time. 35

Prevent

34 http://www.theguardian.com/uk/2009/feb/17/government-exploiting-terrorism-fear

35 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-28986271

Page 28: Home Affairs Select Committee evidence

39. It is notable that many individuals and organisations who operate within the

context of the prevent strategy from across the political spectrum are highly

critical of the policy. Indeed all individuals who have testified in front of this

committee to date on the issue of Prevent have been critical of it, save for

individuals who receive direct funding from the program its self.

40. At its premise, the Prevent strategy’s purpose is to36:

Respond to the ideological challenge of terrorism

Prevent people from being drawn into terrorism

Work with sectors and intuitions where there are risks of radicalisation

41. Prevent supposes that the root cause of terrorism is ideological. From

experience and an analysis of a cross-section of militant publications and

messaging it is clear that the primary motivations of terrorism is political.

Indeed Sir Bernard Hogan Howe in front of this very committee opinioned the

same37.

42. The Governments own research (both open and classified) reaches the

following conclusions with respect to some of the underlying contributors to

violent extremism:

“5.27 ….. Issues which can contribute to a sense that Muslim communities are being unfairly treated include so-called ‘stop and search’ powers used by the police under counter-terrorism legislation; the UK’s counter-terrorism strategy; a perception of biased and Islamophobic media coverage; and UK foreign policy, notably with regard to Muslim countries, the Israel-Palestine conflict and the war in Iraq”38.

43. The research further stresses the need for future strategy in this realm to

specifically address the issue of foreign policy:

36 https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/97976/prevent-strategy-review.pdf

37 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=USj8yG2g2t4 (@1h18 min )

38 https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/97976/prevent-strategy-review.pdf

Page 29: Home Affairs Select Committee evidence

“3.27 … A future strategy in this area will include better communication of Government security and foreign policies to rebut claims made about them…..” 39.

44. In the current counter extremism strategy there is almost no mention of

foreign policy what so ever40, neither is there acknowledgment of the well

documented grievance of the disproportionate use of Schedule 7 Terrorism

Act 2000 powers against ethnic minorities41.

45. Rather than living up to its purported claim of contesting the message of

extremism the policy proposes a campaign of shutting down spaces for

dialogue and the banning of ‘extremist’ speakers. There appears nowhere a

definition of what ‘extremist speaker’ is save for a vague reference to ‘those

opposed to British values’. The Governments stated list of fundamental British

values are:

“[the]values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, and mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs”42

46. The irony being that the Governments new strategy is to deal with no

identified grievance from the Muslim community, thereby failing itself in

demonstrating tolerance of different faiths and beliefs. The strategy in shutting

down debate in all arenas consequently fails to meet its own stated goal of

‘challenging’ the extremist messaging. The strategy also demonstrates

Governments own failure to respect the political beliefs of others by

purposefully avoiding any discussion around foreign policy issues.

Conclusion

39 https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/97976/prevent-strategy-review.pdf

40 https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/470088/51859_Cm9148_Accessible.pdf

41 https://www.liberty-human-rights.org.uk/sites/default/files/Schedule-7-Liberty-s-Report-Stage-Briefing-on-ASB-Bill-Oct-2013_0.pdf

42 https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/380595/SMSC_Guidance_Maintained_Schools.pdf

Page 30: Home Affairs Select Committee evidence

47. It has been said of Prevent in the past that it is a ‘toxic brand’43. Given the

observations highlighted above with respect to the Governments stated

reshaping of the strategy I would suggest that the brand is being shifted from

being merely toxic to being radioactive.

Case Studies of foreign fighters (not related to names listed)

Case Study 1 – British male fighter with ISIS

This individual is in his mid to late twenties and speaks about his life in Syria

and the UK.

Around a decade before actually going to Syria he had adopted a militant anti-

government attitude whilst living in the UK. This had led to him coming to the

attention of MI5, however he had never been charged with an offence.

Exploring what had lead him to become attracted to a militant brand of Islam

in the first place, he stated that up until then he had been brought up in fairly

typical liberal South Asian Muslim family with a stable financial and

emotional situation.

He elucidated that he had lead a life of “dossing around” and felt a bit like a

“lost sheep” until he found religion, laboring that it was not “radical

preachers” that had influenced him but his opposition to events in Afghanistan

and Iraq.

43 http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/mar/09/anti-radicalisation-prevent-strategy-a-toxic-brand

Page 31: Home Affairs Select Committee evidence

A friend of his explained that when younger, the man had indulged in fairly

normal teenage mischief. However, religion had initially had a positive,

calming influence on him.

The man managed to get to Syria despite being questioned by police at the

airport under Schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act.

He initially joined Jabhat al Nusra but felt that they were not ‘strict enough’

and so joined ISIS. His reason for the switch to ISIS was that they were the

only group truly implementing the sharia.

The subject demonstrated a lack of empathy with anyone he classified as an

‘enemy’ but retained an ability to still show affection for anyone considered a

friend – even someone who was not in agreement with ISIS but Muslim.

The subject’s motivations for going to Syria appear to revolve partly around a

search for an identity and status; at one stage he took a prominent role on

social media from Syria, he appeared to enjoy being recognised and talked

about by others in ISIS and also in the West.

Case Study 2 – British male fighter with ISIS

This man in his early thirties had been a prominent member of the circle

around the now banned group Al-Muhajiroun.

He had been espousing Militant beliefs for around a decade.

Whilst in the UK he had seemed to enjoy the notoriety afforded to him by the

tabloid press, and seemed to know how to manipulate them to get more media

coverage.

In Syria he did much the same thing, frequently calling for attacks in Britain

on social media platforms. When challenged with the assertion that he was

Page 32: Home Affairs Select Committee evidence

something of an internet “troll” and was just trying to wind people up, he

expressed frustration as he felt he was not being taken seriously as a threat.

The subject is deceased.

Case Study 3 – European male ambulance driver/fighter with Independent

Outfit

The subject is a young male in his 30’s, he comes from a religiously mixed

background, when growing up he was well integrated with his peers and

society.

His parents having split up some time in the past he began seeking his identity

and found religion.

The subject remained well integrated however was sensitized to the suffering

of the Iraqi people post the second Gulf war, and later on the suffering of the

Syrian people at the hands of the Assad regime.

The subject took it upon himself to raise aid and deliver it to the people of

Syria, whilst delivering aid to Syria the subject was exposed to the killing of

many of his friends by both precursor groups to ISIS and the Assad regime,

some of whom were simple aid workers.

The subject initially decided to stay in Syria, working as an ambulance driver,

he is married to a Syrian and has a child, the subject now wishes to come back

to his home country but cannot do so for fear of arrest in the current climate.

Mohammed Akunjee

Solicitor specialising in terrorism and serious crime

Page 33: Home Affairs Select Committee evidence