UK faces Islamic radicalism implements anti-terrorism strategies

The United Kingdom (UK) is recently facing a growing wave of Islamic radicalization. The government is taking up new approaches to tackle the issue. One of the actions that the government of the United Kingdom is taking to address all aspects of the issue is a counter-terrorism strategy called the contest.

The United Kingdom (UK) is recently facing a growing wave of Islamic radicalization. The government is taking up new approaches to tackle the issue. One of the actions that the government of the United Kingdom is taking to address all aspects of the issue is a counter-terrorism strategy called the contest.

The “contest” strategy functions on four pillars: Prevent, Pursue, Protect and Prepare. The first is Prevent, which aims to stop people from becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism.

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The major attributes of this programme extend support to the people already involved in terrorism-related activities. The effort behind the prevention strategy involves various institutions and entities in the United Kingdom. These institutions include the home office of the UK, the department of Health and social care and the department of education.

Earlier, the Counter Terrorism and Security Act 2015 introduced “Prevent” as the statutory duty of specific authorities. The programme recently underwent an independent review by the Commissioner for Public Appointments, William Shawcross.

The independent review report credited Islamic Radicalism as one of the primary challenges to the United Kingdom’s anti-terrorism efforts. William Shawcross published the information on February 8, 2023, and featured 34 recommendations to deal with the issue. Media reports suggest that Home Secretary Suella Braverman has accepted all the recommendations.

The report has also shed light on Pakistan’s connection to the issue of Islamic Radicalization in the UK. The author of the review report has traced the roots of the terrorism issue to Pakistan. He believes Pakistan also influences the Muslim community by introducing anti-India sentiments.

This sentiment rings especially true when it comes to the subject of Kashmir. William Shawcross has quoted the example of extremist groups in the UK and a Pakistani cleric who has a following in the UK promoting the use of violence in Kashmir.

William Shawcross’s report also mentioned some cases of terrorism influenced by the radical ideas of Pakistan. In addition to the United Kingdom, Europe is emerging quickly as a critical target of Islamic ideologies and radicalization.

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To this end, illegal immigration from Pakistan to Europe, which was in progress for several years, has become a security nightmare for the host nations.

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