Violent Extremism
In the aftermath of the tragedies of July 7th and 21st 2005, tensions ran high as the peace and security of many urban communities was put in the balance. Citizens that recognised the potential risks and implications of the attacks gathered resources, rallied round and worked tirelessly to ensure that the status quo was maintained and that the principles of freedom and equality on which our society is based were not compromised.
Unfortunately not enough was done to engage with our youth, and many programmes and projects were put aside in favour of more generic security-based initiatives. It is difficult to avoid the conclusion that these types of policies were not particularly effective.
The community dynamic in the UK has been changed forever as a result of 7/7. Although a fragile sense of calm has returned to Britain’s cities, dangers do remain and will to present a challenge to people of goodwill for the foreseeable future.
We are going through a period of great change...
The picture so far has been bleak. However, it is important to remember that, despite the risks and dangers, we are also going through a period of great change. As Trevor Phillips stated in 2005, “These are times for transformation. It is for us to seize the initiatives and sow the seeds for active changes to come about”.
The time to do this is now. ACF intend to seize the moment and use our experience to benefit the wider community. Simple projects, which will build on the platform of ACF’s previous highly successful Youth Projects, will be used to inform and develop future models for the prevention of violent extremism.
Violent extremism has to be understood, the mindset realised, the emotional drivers used by mystery recruiters recognised and young people’s grievances addressed, if we are to be successful in stemming the tide of violent extremism in all its forms.
Our unique understanding
The personal experiences of the Qadir brothers and Mike Jervis give the Active Change Foundation a unique understanding of the varied techniques used by mystery recruiters. ACF has an in-depth knowledge of the many strands of faith within Islam, the emotional drivers employed by recruiters and the vast environments that they operate in. This is why ACF are uniquely placed to help reduce the threat of violent extremism that we all face.