Muslim groups and human rights activists have condemned the guidance for undermining ‘freedom of speech’

Counter terror police are recalling official guidance which suggested that ‘Muslims who believe they are oppressed’ could be a sign of extremism.

Human rights groups condemned the 12-page document produced by counter terrorism police in south-east England for undermining ‘free expression and discrimination’.

Titled ‘Safeguarding young people and adults from ideological extremism’, the document lists a number of groups and examples of ‘extremist or worrying behaviour to look for’.

In reference to the banned Islamist terror group Al Muhajiroun the document states: ‘What you might see and hear:


‘Al Muhajiroun promotes the view that Muslims are persecuted in the UK by the government and media.



‘You may hear someone state this view or voice concern for “oppressed Muslims” in other countries’.

The document was produced by counter terrorism police in south-east England

Human rights groups such as Liberty and CAGE as well as the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) claim that the guidance is worryingly broad and includes ‘normative Muslim beliefs’.

Concerns have been raised that if a person of a Muslim background were for example to speak of China’s persecution of Uighur Muslims or of discrimination against Muslims in India, then this could be mistakenly linked to radicalisation.

The guidance was issued as part of the government’s Prevent strategy, a programme designed to tackle both far-right and religious radicalisation.

Under the Prevent scheme, there is a statutory duty for public sector workers, such as NHS staff, teachers and social workers, to identify those deemed to be at risk of radicalisation.

The Home Office said Extinction Rebellion’s inclusion was a mistake

The same document was criticised last week for including Extinction Rebellion alongside Jihadist and neo-Nazi groups.

The Home Office said that Extinction Rebellion’s inclusion was ‘an error and will be reviewed’.

Other groups mentioned in the document, which states it is to be read by ‘those in regular, direct contact with young people or members of the public’, include banned organisations such as far-right terror group, National Action.

A section on Extreme Satanism is also included which states that ‘some Satanic groups speak of bringing about a “race war” or of cleansing humanity of human “dross”, which is linked to elements of neo-Nazi ideology.

Anjem Choudary co-founded Al Muhajiroun (Picture: AFP/Getty Images)

Occult Symbology which ‘could appear on personal possessions or on pupils’ exercise books is listed as an example of support for Satanism.

Human rights group Liberty said it was ‘outrageous to imply a Prevent referral as warranted where someone expresses the view that Muslims are oppressed’.

Rosalind Comyn, Policy and Campaigns Officer at Liberty, said: ‘Prevent has always been a blunt instrument that undermines free expression, embeds discrimination in public services and sows distrust among communities.

Dr Adnan Siddiqui, Director at human rights group CAGE said: ‘The inclusion of normative Muslim beliefs, attitudes and experiences of religious discrimination as potential markers is not new to Prevent, and something CAGE has documented and campaigned on for a long time.



‘Prevent is not only validating Islamophobia, but is entrenching it across the public sector.

‘The leaked Prevent document seeks to determine which forms of political expression are acceptable, or beyond the pale.’

Government 'sending people to Isle of Wight on ferries' for coronavirus tests

The MCB said that ‘care must be taken to ensure that evidence-based views that reflect legitimate concerns by Muslims are not conflated with claims of extremism’.

Secretary General of the MCB Harun Khan said: ‘Muslims are held in concentration camps in China, ethnically cleansed in Myanmar, and still under lockdown after 163 days in Kashmir.

‘This is clear oppression which everyone – not just Muslims – should be voicing concerns about.’

A spokesperson for Counter Terrorism south east said: ‘The document was designed for a very specific audience who understand the complexities of the safeguarding environment we work within and who have statutory duties under Prevent. We are in the process of confirming who it has been shared with and recalling it.

‘We as Counter Terrorism Policing, along with our partners, have a responsibility to protect vulnerable people.

‘Officers are trained to spot those who may be vulnerable and this is a fundamental element of the work of Prevent – to stop people potentially being drawn into criminal behaviour.’

Got a story for Metro.co.uk? Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk. For more stories like this, check our news page.