We are concerned with the implementation of “radicalisation” policies within the UK Prevent strategy, internationally referred to as countering violence extremism. Tools that purport to have a psychology evidence base are being developed and placed under statutory duty while their “science” has not been subjected to proper scientific scrutiny or public critique.

Of particular concern is the Extremism Risk Guidance 22+ (ERG22+) framework that is being used as the basis for assessing risk of “radicalisation” and referral to the Channel programme. More than 500,000 public servants have been placed under a duty to implement the tool and several dozen children have been directly affected, through the courts, based on assessments using the tool. The impact is significant and cannot be emphasised enough.

We endorse the recent statement by the Royal College of Psychiatrists calling for publication of the ERG22+ study. We call on the Home Office to do so and further to invite debate by experts.

All those engaged in academic study should continue to serve the interests of society by remaining faithful to the ethical standards and science of their traditions. Where we play a role cooperatively with government policy, we should hold ourselves to the highest possible standards to ensure that we maintain the independence and transparency of our professions.

Karen Armstrong



Professor Marc Sageman

Professor Noam Chomsky Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Professor Humayun Ansari Royal Holloway, University of London

Professor David Miller University of Bath

Professor Arun Kundnani New York University

Professor Tariq Ramadan University of Oxford

Professor Tim Jacoby University of Manchester

Professor John L Esposito Georgetown University

Professor Catarina Kinnvall Lund University

Professor Andrew Samuels University of Essex

Professor David Whyte University of Liverpool

Professor Richard Jackson University of Otago

Professor Laleh Khalili School of Oriental and African Studies

Professor Adam Gearey Birkbeck College, University of London

Professor Vian Bakir Bangor University

Professor Ruth Blakeley University of Kent

Professor Robert Gleave University of Exeter

Professor Emeritus Philip G Cerny University of Manchester

Professor Piers Robinson University of Sheffield

Professor Gargi Bhattacharyya University of East London

Professor Vini Lander Edge Hill University

Professor Salman Sayyid University of Leeds

Professor Bill Bowering Birkbeck College, University of London

Professor Aziz Huq University of Chicago

Professor Jenny Hocking Monash University

Professor Eric Herring University of Bristol

Professor Julian Petley Brunel University, London

Professor Yasir Qadhi Rhodes College

Professor Raphael Salkie University of Brighton

Professor Jeremy Keenan Queen Mary University London

Professor Les Back Goldsmiths, University of London

Professor Robert W McChesney University of Illinois

Professor Stellan Vinthagen University of Massachusetts

Professor Susan Condor Loughborough University

Professor Dave Hill Anglia Ruskin University

Professor Edward S Herman University of Pennsylvania

Professor Elizabeth Shakman Hurd Northwestern University

Professor Bernadette Calafell University of Denver

Professor Barbara Harlow University of Texas, Austin

Professor Lara Deeb Scripps College

Professor Phillip Metres John Carroll University

Professor Ramon Grosfoguel University of California, Berkeley

Professor Khaled Beydoun University of Detroit, Mercy

Dr Tarak Barkawi London School of Economics and Political Science

Dr Narzanin Massoumi University of Liverpool

Professor Stephen Reicher University of St Andrews

Dr Leda Blackwood University of Bath

Dr Charles Figley Tulane University, New Orleans

Dr Bob Jeffery Sheffield Hallam University

Dr John Drury University of Sussex

Dr Alice LoCicero The Wright Institute

Dr Emma O’Dwyer Kingston University

Dr Shazad Amin Consultant psychiatrist, National Health Service

Dr Vivian L Vignoles University of Sussex

Dr Derek Summerfield Consultant psychiatrist

Dr Suman Fernando London Metropolitan University

Dr Sushrut Jadhav University College London

Dr Michael Gopfert University of Liverpool

Dr Rukyya Hassan University of Manchester

Dr Huseyin Cakal Keele University

Dr Winnifred Louis University of Queensland

Dr Philip Thomas Author and retired psychiatrist

Dr Lisa Hajjar University of California, Santa Barbara

Dr Nadine El-Enany Birkbeck College, University of London

Dr Charlotte Heath-Kelly University of Warwick

Dr Fahid Qureshi Canterbury Christchurch University

Dr Katy P Sian University of York

Dr Rizwaan Sabir Liverpool John Moores University

Dr Emma L Briant University of Sheffield

Dr Julia Welland University of Warwick

Dr Sadia Habib Goldsmiths, University of London

Dr Anisa Mustafa University of Nottingham

Dr Sarah Marusek Public Interest Investigations and Spinwatch

Dr Monish Bhatia Abertay University

Dr Paul-Francois Tremlett The Open University

Dr Heather Mendick Research consultant

Dr Jo Frankham Liverpool John Moores University

Dr Jane Essex Brunel University, London

Dr Abida Malik University of Nottingham

Dr William Jackson Liverpool John Moores University

Dr Jeffrey A Sluka Massey University, New Zealand

Dr Haitham al-Haddad Independent Scholar

Dr Feyzi Ismail School of Oriental and African Studies

Dr Fuad Ali University of East London

Dr Joseph Darlington Futureworks Media School (UCLan)

Dr Leena Robertson Middlesex University

Dr Steve Hanson Lecturer and writer

Dr Joanna Gilmore University of York

Dr Virinder S Kalra University of Manchester

Dr Jonathan Gilhooly University of Brighton

Dr Mark Carrigan University of Warwick

Dr Francis Farrell Edge Hill University

Dr Tina Managhan Oxford Brookes University

Dr Jeffrey Stevenson Murer University of St Andrews

Dr Tanzil Chowdhury University of Manchester

Dr Muhammad G Khan Ruskin College, Oxford

Dr Shamim Miah University of Huddersfield

Dr Vicky Duckworth Edge Hill University

Dr Louise Purbrick University of Brighton

Dr Emily Wykes University of Nottingham

Dr Rob Smith Birmingham City University

Dr Sivamohan Valluvan University of Manchester

Dr Heather Smith Newcastle University

Dr Patricia McManus University of Brighton

Dr Graham Smith University of Manchester

Dr Caroline Ruddell Brunel University London

Dr Carl Morris University of Central Lancashire

Dr Robin Dunford University of Brighton

Dr Shohini Chaudhuri University of Essex

Dr Necla Acik University of Manchester

Dr Bethan Harries University of Manchester

Dr Laia Becares University of Manchester

Dr Nadia Edmond School of Education

Dr Vicky Margree University of Brighton

Dr Doerthe Rosenow Oxford Brookes University

Dr Lesley Whitworth University of Brighton

Dr Les Levidow Open University

Dr Daniel Burrows University of Brighton

Dr George Tsekouras University of Brighton

Dr Paul Robert Gilbert University of Brighton

Dr Fatima Chrifi Alaoui San Francisco State University

Asim Qureshi Cage

Yahya Birt University of Leeds

Julie Ward MEP

Trevor MacFarlane Cultural Affairs, European Parliament

Hilary Aked University of Bath

Robin Richardson Insted

Bill Bolloten Education Not Surveillance

Liam McCann University of Lincoln

Phil Edwards Manchester Metropolitan University

Will McGowan University of Liverpool

Catherine Adams Nottingham Trent University

Milly Williamson Brunel University

Gary Riley-Jones Goldsmiths University of London

Dawud Walid Council of American-Islamic Relations, Michigan

Tait Coles Dixons ITT, Bradford

Jennifer Wates Retired policy analyst

Sarah Earnshaw Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich

AbdoolKarim Vakil King’s College London

Haneen al Ghabra University of Denver

Ümit Yıldız Edge Hill University

Saira Weiner Liverpool John Moores University

Maggie Webster Edge Hill University

Karis Campion University of Manchester

Tom Hickey University of Brighton

Anne Mitchell Retired FE deputy principal

Lisa Redlinski College of Arts and Humanities, Brighton

Sam Cutting University of Brighton

Shaykh Abdalhaqq Bewley The Muslim Faculty of Advanced Studies

Dinah Rahman Imperial College London

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