Memorandum from the Network of Sikh Organisations
(NSO) (PVE 04)
PREVENTING VIOLENT
EXTREMISM
This submission is made on behalf of the Sikh
community by the Network of Sikh Organisations (NSO), Britain's
largest representative body of Sikhs
SUMMARY
— The Prevent Strategy is seriously flawed
as it does not address the root causes of religious conflict and
extremism.
— The government's engagement with religious
communities is badly skewed by over-focussing on Islamic extremism.
This has produced a sense of unfair targeting within the Muslim
community, and a corresponding sense of marginalisation among
those of other faiths. Sikhs are particularly conscious of the
negative rebound of Islamic extremism on many turban wearing Sikhs
and our places of worship.
— The old story about "crisis in theatre-government
to act", has now been replaced by "crisis in religion-government
starts preaching". Government and local government are not
experts on religion and should avoid the temptation to lead and
direct the faith agenda. This leading is currently being done
by the deployment of government and local government funding to
favoured projects and groups on the basis of questionable criteria.
The role of both government and local government should be
confined to ensuring all communities are given equitable treatment
on the provision of goods and services and that all people of
different faiths and cultures respect the norms of civilised society.
DETAILED CONCERNS
1. Skewed Consequences of Prevent
1.1 Sikhs are extremely concerned that the
"Prevent" strategy and similar well-meaning government
initiatives aimed at reducing violent extremism are based on a
highly questionable premise: that funding initiatives aimed at
general community cohesion will address deeper underlying causes
of extremism. These initiatives, aimed at the Islamic community,
rather than tackling underlying issues are producing a sense of
"victimisation among Muslims and a growing sense of resentment
and marginalisation in other religious communities.
1.2 While the Prevent Agenda and similar
initiatives aimed at the Muslim community are designed to assist
it to combat extremism, these are interpreted by many Muslims
as their faith being singled out and blamed as the source of all
extremism, and evidence of widespread Islamaphobia.This sense
of alienation, however misplaced, plays into the hands of those
in the Muslim community with an extremist agenda. Importantly,
it also feeds and gives cause to right wing extremists in a way
that can lead to a measure of civic unrest.
2. Root Causes of Religious Extremism
2.1 The view of the UK Sikhs is that extremism,
religious or otherwise, arises from a desire of those involved
to push their beliefs onto others, even by threat of force; the
rationale behind this being that their views carry unique truth
and legitimacy. An added reason for religious extremism is an
arrogant assumption that "this is what God wants us to do".
3. Combating Bigotry
3.1 What commonly passes for religion is
a mix of ethical teachings mixed, often beyond recognition, in
questionable culture and superstition. In most faith groupings,
Sikhs included, perverse cultural practice that inhibits community
cohesion is sometimes given more importance than ethical teaching.
3.2 Those seeking power in religious communities
often misrepresent or distort religious teachings and blur the
distinction between cultural practices and ethical teachings to
suit their own ideological agenda. A true "Prevent Agenda"
should tackle such distortions with the active involvement of
religious leaders. The experience to date is that most Muslim
leaders, other than providing occasional lip service, have done
little in this direction. They, and their counterparts in other
faiths, should actively condemn attempts by zealots to push their
views onto others. We all have the right to believe what we want,
but any attempt to push our views on others seriously undermines
the cause of true community cohesion. This is particularly serious
on university campuses, where, despite Sikh, Jewish and Hindu
concerns being relayed to government ministers, extreme Islamic
proselytising, including the crude denigration of other faiths,
continues unabated.
3.3 It is more than a year since the publication
of the government's "Preventing Violent Extremism" which
correctly recognized that "violent extremism is most likely
to occur where extremists can act uncontested, away from mainstream
voices and competing ideas. This can apply both to …….
prisons, universities…".The evidence to date is
that little has been done on university campuses to combat increasing
radicalisation and extremism and, despite a vast increase in funding,
it is the view of the Prison Chaplaincy, including the Muslim
Adviser, the situation in prisons has become worse with aggressive
and intimidating behaviour being shown to those of other faiths.
4. Conclusion
While a small measure of superficial community
cohesion can be gained by funding initiatives to reduce disadvantage
and encourage different faiths to meet together in social and
cultural activities, underlying tensions can only be dissipated
by open and honest dialogue to show the essential beliefs and
aspirations of different communities have much in common. Focussing
on such commonalities while at the same time addressing root causes
of extremism will add considerable strength to the Prevent Agenda.
September 2009
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