1 England and Wales Order (2013) No 1198: Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2013, available at: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2013/1198/pdfs/uksi_20131198_en.pdf.
2 Guidance on the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974, 10 March 2014, available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/216089/rehabilitation-offenders.pdf.
3 E. Love, ‘Confronting Islamophobia in the United States: Framing Civil Rights Activism Among Middle Eastern Americans’, in M. Malik (ed.), Anti-Muslim Prejudice, Past and Present (London and New York: Routledge, 2010), pp. 191–214; T. Mills, T. Griffin and D. Miller, The Cold War on British Muslims: An Examination of Policy Exchange and the Centre for Social Cohesion, Public Interest Investigations, 2011.
4 Hazel Blears, the then communities secretary, believed the Muslim Council of Britain deputy Dr Daud Abdullah had signed a letter bearing intent to attack UK armed forces during 2008/9 Operation Cast Lead and wrote to the MCB to demand his resignation as a condition for continued engagement with the government. She said the letter (the Istanbul Declaration) ‘could’ be construed as an attack on HM Armed Forces. (‘Our Shunning of the MCB Is Not Grandstanding’, Guardian, 25 March 2009, available at: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2009/mar/25/islam-terrorism.) Dr Abdullah denied the document expressed any intent to attack UK armed forces (the Royal Navy or otherwise) and stated as much in an open letter to John Denham (Blears’ successor). Moreover, both he and the MCB affirmed that he did not sign in his capacity as deputy of that organization. (See ‘Dr Daud Abdullah’s Open Letter to Secretary of State, John Denham’, 22 January 2010, available at: https://www.facebook.com/notes/middle-east-monitor/memo-alert-dr-daud-abdullahs-open-letter-to-secretary-of-state-john-denham/268576588835/.
5 Speech by Theresa May, ‘A Stronger Britain, Built on Our Values’, 23 March 2015, available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/a-stronger-britain-built-on-our-values.
6 Extremism Analysis Unit: written question 21752, asked by Alastair Carmichael MP, 11 January 2016; available at https://www.theyworkforyou.com/wrans/?id=2016-01-11.21751.h.
7 Theresa May, when home secretary, spoke clearly about the remit of the EAU: ‘The starting point is, of course, the need for a better evidence base for dealing with extremists and extremist organisations. The Government’s new Extremism Analysis Unit is already up and running and helping to inform … this strategy’; see: ‘Speech by Home Secretary, Theresa May, “A Stronger Britain, Built on Our Values” ’, Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, London, 23 March 2015, available at: http://statewatch.org/news/2015/mar/uk-2015-03-23-theresa-may-anti-extremism-speech.pdf.
8 http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2015-07-20/7943/.
9 ‘How MI5’s Scientists Work to Identify Future Terrorists’, BBC News, 12 December 2016, available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-38252470.
10 The Big Lunch, an initiative developed by the Eden Project aims to bring people together to have lunch one Sunday in June annually. It was started in 2009 and in 2015, brought together 7.29 million people for lunch. The next one will take place on Sunday 4 June 2017.
11 ‘Nick Clegg Attacks Policy Exchange for “Offensive” and “Underhand” Briefing’, Liberal Democrat Voice, 24 October 2008, available at: http://www.libdemvoice.org/nick-clegg-attacks-policy-exchange-for-offensive-and-underhand-briefing-5064.html.
12 ‘Baroness Warsi Pulls Out of Muslim Conference Amid Claims of Tory Concerns’, Daily Telegraph, 25 October 2010, available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/conservative/8084340/Baroness-Warsi-pulls-out-of-Muslim-conference-amid-claims-of-Tory-concerns.html.
13 ‘Pastor of Brent Cross Church Welcomes Prime Minister David Cameron to Christian Festival’, Hendon and Finchley Times, 23 April 2015.
14 Asonzeh Ukah, ‘Sexual Bodies, Sacred Vessels: Pentecostal Discourses on Homosexuality in Nigeria’, in Ezra Chitando and Adriaan van Klinken (eds.), Christianity and Controversies over Homosexuality in Contemporary Africa (London: Routledge, 2016), pp. 21–37.
15 ‘Pastor of Brent Cross Church Welcomes Prime Minister David Cameron to Christian Festival’, Hendon and Finchley Times, 23 April 2015.
16 Peter Oborne, ‘What’s the Conservative Party’s Problem with Muslims?’, Middle East Eye, 7 October 2016, available at: http://www.middleeasteye.net/columns/peter-oborne-whats-conservative-partys-problem-muslims-1757982215.
17 Speech by the Prime Minister, Theresa May, to Conservative Party Conference at the ICC, Birmingham, 5 October 2016. The notion of one rule for the Muslims and another for the rest was explored by the High Court in 2016 on the issue of gender segregation and OFSTED’s view that Muslims were discriminating by allowing the practice in a mixed-sex school. The judge, Justice Jay, argued: ‘Islamic faith schools were similar to some Jewish schools in this respect. Indeed, there is evidence before me of a particular Jewish school, operating on what is described as two campuses, which at its last Ofsted inspection in 2012 was rated outstanding across the board.’ The judge noted: ‘From brief internet research, I have gathered that a number of Christian faith schools have similar practices.’ In other words, he implemented a uniform and consistent application of our values against the government’s position argued by OFSTED. (See: ‘Ofsted Wrong to Penalise Islamic School Over Gender Segregation, Court Rules’, Guardian, 8 November 2016, available at: https://www.theguardian.com/education/2016/nov/08/ofsted-wrong-to-penalise-islamic-school-over-gender-segregation-court-rules).
18 I asked ministerial colleagues to take that moment in 2012 and shape GPU in a way that was acceptable to government and one that would enable senior government attendance at the event. My colleagues refused to do so: the response was ‘Who they invite is a matter for them, and we will decide whether or not to attend once they’ve decided.’
19 ‘Exposed: Sadiq Khan’s Family Links to Extremist Organisation’, Evening Standard, 12 February 2016, available at: http://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/exposed-sadiq-khans-family-links-to-extremist-organisation-a3179066.html.
20 ‘Chancellor’s Brother Adam Osborne Suspended as a Doctor – for Second Time’, Daily Telegraph, 15 March 2015.
21 ‘The NHS Imam Who Opposes Organ Transplants but Has Been Employed in a Hospital for Three Years’, Daily Mail, 23 March 2013.
22 ‘Zac Goldsmith’s Extremist Attack Line Backfires’, The Spectator, 14 April 2016, available at: http://blogs.spectator.co.uk/2016/04/zac-goldsmiths-extremist-attack-line-backfires/.
23 ‘MPs Shout “Racist” at Cameron after Comments on Sadiq Khan during PMQs’, Guardian, 20 April 2016.
24 ‘Michael Fallon to Compensate Imam after False Islamic State Claim’, Daily Telegraph, 23 June 2016, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/06/23/michael-fallon-to-compensate-imam-after-false-islamic-state-claim/.
25 ‘Conservative Home Apologises to Sir Iqbal Sacranie, Carter Ruck, 16 December 2011’, available at: http://www.carter-ruck.com/news/read/conservativehome-apologises-to-sir-iqbal-sacranie.
26 Sir Stephen Bubb, the ex-chief executive of ACEVO, has experienced this ‘maligning of Muslims’ in the charitable sector. He has seen at first hand the reluctance of British Muslims to take on the media and official bodies because of the increased potential of ‘bad publicity’ and ‘reputation damage’ despite a positive and favourable outcome.
27 ‘Downing Street Set to Crack Down on the Muslim Brotherhood’, Daily Telegraph, 19 October 2014, available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/11171979/Downing-Street-set-to-crack-down-on-the-Muslim-Brotherhood.html.
28 Douglas Murray, ‘After Woolwich, What Will Change?’, The Spectator, 1 June 2013, available at: http://www.spectator.co.uk/2013/06/the-enemies-within/.
29 Paddy Hillyard, Suspect Community: People’s Experience of the Prevention of Terrorism Acts in Britain (London: Pluto Press, 1993); Paddy Hillyard, ‘ “The ‘War on Terror”: Lessons from Ireland’, in European Civil Liberties Network, Essays for Civil Liberties and Democracy in Europe, 3 October 2005.
30 V. Mohini Giri, Living Death: Trauma of Widowhood in India (New Delhi: Gyan Publishing House, 2002).
31 ‘Ultra-Orthodox Rabbis Ban Women from Going to University in Case They Get “Dangerous” Secular Knowledge’, Independent, 22 August 2016, available at: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/ultra-orthodox-rabbis-ban-women-from-going-to-university-in-case-they-get-dangerous-secular-a7204171.html.
32 A principle applied by George Osborne to Donald Trump: ‘George Osborne Warns Theresa May She Must Work Closely With Donald Trump to Curb His Disastrous Ideas’, Sun, 10 November 2016, available at: https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/2159155/george-osborne-warns-theresa-may-must-work-closely-with-donald-trump-to-curb-his-disastrous-ideas/.
33 Freedom of Information request to the Department for Education by Jenna Corderoy, 19 January 2016, response received 15 March 2016, available at: https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/2779727/FOI-Educateagainsthate-Com-Consultants-and-Stats.pdf.
34 It would, however, be remiss of me to not address the one opportunity for reintegration, the one route to rehabilitation that is the route of the ‘proper ex-extremist’. There are certain rules that apply. Firstly, you have to have been a real baddie. Not just someone who has some naff views on gays, Jews and women, but serious hardcore revolutionary stuff. You know the stuff I’m talking about: the Islamic takeover of Britain, a hatred for our democracy and institutions, a country run by religious laws, possibly even Arabic as the national language and preferably a few years’ experience either in a ‘war zone’ or some ‘academic learning / jihadi gap year’ in an exotic Muslim place. So effectively you’ve got to have been a bit of a fantasist. I’ve met plenty of these types during my public life, and they are invariably male, well-educated and charismatic, to my mind. Secondly you’ve got to have had, or manufactured, ‘a moment’ when you saw the light and recognized the error of your ways. Thirdly, in your thinking the pendulum has to swing from an extremist position based on religion to an extremist position based on liberalism, or preferably move to a position of non-belief. The one thing better than an ex-extremist in the world of rehab is an ex-believer. And providing you go through the above phases you can not only be deemed suitable for engagement but indeed even invited to advise government and funded to front counter-extremism work. If you follow this path you can be redeemed. If, however, you didn’t go ‘all the way’ in your extremism phase but simply dabbled in the softer stuff, a cannabis user for social and recreational purposes rather than hooked on the Class A stuff, you are beyond the pale.