Press Ahmadiyya: Minister laid out his ‘comprehensive’ plan in Birmingham as part of his renewed effort to up the ante against the crisis of extremism.

I thought Cameron’s concern to do more was appropriate and needed; police, mosques, schools, universities and parents need to do more. This much I wholeheartedly agree with. However, I had hoped that his speech would have contained more. Alas, sadly it often veered into reaffirming generalised views of Islam, which are not only unhelpful, but counter-productive.

Of those points made by Cameron that I felt were on the mark, the following struck me: actively encouraging the moderate Muslim voices, challenging the media to play a more responsible role by giving moderates a much needed platform, allowing parents to apply for the suspension of their children’s passports, and the need to monitor preachers of hate. These were all crucial points.

Cameron even promised British Muslim youth that “I will do everything I can to support you”. If Cameron wishes to live up to his words then he needs to understand our concerns. As a young British Muslim and an Imam, I find myself at the crossroads of Cameron’s speech. And while I genuinely find no conflict in being British and a Muslim, I have a grave concern with Cameron’s repeated assertion that we cannot deny, “a connection between the religion of Islam and the extremists”. When I heard this, my heart sank and I had hoped the Prime Minister would offer a reasoned explanation. Instead, Cameron justified his assertion, “Because these extremists are self-identifying as Muslims”. I must admit that I was disappointed to say the least at the incoherence of this assumption. Certain Christians practice FGM and self-identify as Christians, but no link is, nor should be, drawn between such a vile act and the noble religion of Christianity.

Similarly, the gratuitous claim that a link must be drawn between Islam and extremism lacks understanding and so masks a more sinister suggestion that there is some theological justification for extremist acts within the religion of Islam. This plays swiftly into the hands of Islamophobic groups like the EDL.

In an atmosphere where we find a rapidly rising number of Britons (27% this year as compared to 10% in 2001) who view Islam as a major threat to the Western liberal democracy, the Prime Minister’s remarks on forging a link between extremism and Islam simply add fuel to the fire.

Drawing such a link attacks and undermines the cohesive society that most of us, Muslims and non-Muslims alike, greatly desire. A small minority of politically motivated Muslims do perceive a link between Islam and extremism, but their perception is not one based in reality. Perhaps Cameron’s words will only reinforce this misperception. An odd move from the same David Cameron who, until 2007 at least, was himself speaking against associating the religion of Islam with extremism. In fact, here’s what he said:

“Our efforts are not helped by lazy use of language. Indeed, by using the word ‘Islamist’ to describe the threat, we actually help do the terrorist ideologues’ work for them, confirming to many impressionable young Muslim men that to be a ‘good Muslim’, you have to support their evil campaign.”1

Three years later and Mr. Cameron became the Prime Minister; now we find his speech littered with comments that lack the nuances that once set him apart from many others.

No matter what the Prime Minister or anyone says, I as a Muslim, like millions around the world, know that my faith offers no support to extremists or their twisted anti-Islamic ideology. My faith is Islam; Islam is the Quran; Quran is against any extremism or terrorism. The more we understand and voice this reality, the smaller the gap becomes between Muslims and non-Muslims in Britain. Yes I agree that there is a link between terrorism and certain Muslims. To deny that is to bury my head in sand. But to associate the religion of Islam with extremism is a grave and irresponsible mistake; to attach an inherent suspicion or guilt to people simply because of their adherence to Islam, only affirms the frenzied concern that Muslims are unable to integrate into a western society.

During the speech, the Prime Minister tried his hand at defining extremism and clearly got carried away. In a struggle to forge a definition, a critical view of anything to do with the government, including its foreign policy was characterised as extremist tendencies. David Cameron called for a rejection of conspiracy theories and declared the failure to do so as a sign of growing extremism.

It is important not to forget that there are peaceful non-Muslims and people of no faith who hold similar views. The West champions freedom of expression, but side-lining Muslims whilst claiming to help them is a perilous contradiction. When setting standards, there is a fine line the government should respect between genuine warning signs and an infringement on personal beliefs.

Despite the claim to “confront head on”, the ideologies that lead to extremism, Cameron completely shunned any suggestion that anything other than religious ideology plays a role. The prime minister is either unwilling or unable to come to terms with the proven links between political unrest and global frustration, which is being embezzled by some to mislead young minds. Using political jargon and saying it is merely a “grievance justification” is hardly addressing a core concern. Cameron needs to explain to Muslims and non-Muslims about British and Western foreign policy and explain why repetitive intervention has been constantly ineffective. In the same Guardian article written three years before his election, Cameron himself quoted Edmund Burke who stated: ‘To make men love their country, their country ought to be lovable.’

A cursory look at our military endeavours confirms that whilst Western nations do not overtly subjugate weaker nations, they do seek undue influence by exerting control and taking advantage of their resources. Poorly executed attempts to counter terrorism in foreign countries have exacerbated the situation. This certainly leads to frustrations that are misused by some in the name of religion to attain power.

I am not another Muslim trying to play the blame game by claiming everything is due to our foreign policy. No, I am merely bringing home the reality that Cameron’s claim that religious ideology is the sole motivation is to grossly simplify a cluster of issues.

Muslims do have a responsibility to play a greater role in countering extremism. A vision of what should be adopted can be seen in the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community (AMC) which is to hold a 3-day international Islamic event in Hampshire this August attracting 30,000 to highlight the true peaceful message of Islam. The AMC believes that if countering extremism demands that mosques should be monitored, Mosques should open their doors. In fact, in every meeting the community holds, we take a pledge of loyalty to this nation in light of the teachings of Prophet Muhammad (peace be on him) that, “loyalty to one’s nation is part of faith”. This is something we encourage even the government should take on board to introduce a pledge of loyalty to Britain in school assemblies. This is a means of increasing loyalty across the board from childhood.

The Caliphate of IS is completely un-Islamic and brutal. But it must be remembered that the concept of Caliphate is a central Islamic concept and there is nothing wrong with the concept as long as it is the true peaceful Caliphate. The 150 million Ahmadi Muslims across the globe have already been living under a spiritual Caliphate for over 100 years. Their Caliph resides in London! This may come as a surprise to many because his message is that Islam is a religion of peace. Here in the UK, 7000 British Muslim youth take guidance from him and typically raise hundreds of thousands of pounds for British charities, including the Poppy Appeal, and set a prime example of British Muslims who actively contribute to the very fabric of the British society.

For us Brits to together, Muslim and non-Muslim, counter our common enemy (extremism), it is critical to develop mutual respect within society. Every religion should be respected and the government should encourage this. @AhmadiyyatIslam