Rather than protecting the public, the Prevent duty embeds Islamophobia in our public services

23 February 2024, 11:52

• Alba Kapoor is the Head of Policy at the Runnymede Trust

By Alba Kapoor

@kapoor_alba

As Islamophobia in this country skyrockets, William Shawcross’ harmful remarks on an aspect of  the UK’s failing and discriminatory counter terrorism strategy are ill timed and misguided.

Shawcross’ recent interventions, which include unevidenced assertions about the threat of “those Hamas people in this country” in the context of protests regarding ongoing devastation in Gaza, are framed by his track record of discriminatory views about Muslims and the role of Islam in Europe.

Shawcross’ comments today regarding the Prevent duty’s efficacy underscores his lack of legitimacy in leading the original so-called ‘independent’ Review into the government’s counterterrorism strategy released last year.

The Runnymede Trust were amongst other leading civil society organisations in withdrawing our support from the recent review, which lost confidence when it was announced it was being led by someone with Shawcross’ history of hostility towards Muslim communities. 

Instead of heeding Shawcross’ baseless claims, action must be taken to seriously interrogate this discriminatory Duty which has, according to the UN, created an ‘atmosphere of suspicion towards members of Muslim communities’. 

Rather than protecting  the public, the Prevent duty embeds Islamophobia in our public services. Evidence compiled by the organisation MedAct shows that people of Muslim faith are eight times more likely to be referred by staff in the healthcare sector than non-Muslims.  

It is also a highly ineffective tool; 72% of referrals in the year ending March 2021 were assessed as not requiring further action.Indeed, the Prevent Duty’s training materials for public sector workers ensures that the practice of Islam is an ever-present fixture in its application. 

As a result, everyday normative  practices of the Islamic faith have been taken as signs of radicalisation by those enforcing the Duty.

This is despite the fact that 41% of arrests related to counter-terrorism in 2021 were of extreme rightwing suspects.

Islamophobic attacks continue to spiral in this country, with statistics released today showing an appalling 335% rise in Islamophobic hate since October 7th.

Given these tragic statistics, the government’s focus should be on challenging the Islamophobic discrimination embedded in the Prevent duty, rather than reinforcing it.

________

LBC Views provides a platform for diverse opinions on current affairs and matters of public interest. The views expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official LBC position. To contact us email views@lbc.co.uk