"The aim is to prevent terrorism by tackling its causes . . . to diminish support for terrorists by influencing social and economic issues," said Turnbull

CAIRO, May 30 (IslamOnline.net) – The British government has drawn up a major plan to "win the hearts and minds" of young Muslims and address what it believes to be the underlying causes feeding extremism, a British newspaper revealed Sunday, May 30.

Codenamed "Contest", the project reconsiders past mistakes that made the 1.6 million Muslims feel alienated, like being unfairly targeted by the anti-terror clampdown and gives due attention to their social ills, The Sunday Times reported citing leaked Whitehall confidential documents.

In fighting extremism, the strategy, drawn up at Prime Minister Tony Blair’s request by senior ministers and top government officials, supports moderate and home-grown imams.

The documents also set out a plan to provide government-subsidized training for British imams.

The plan suggests moderate names like Amr Khaled, an Egyptian studying for a doctorate in Wales whose televised programs have attracted millions from all over the world.

Khaled has received a four-year scholarship from the University of Wales to study the life of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).

The strategy will also outlaws "radical" imams who refuse to "sign up to the British way of life".

It will include new laws to be unveiled next month to stop "radical" preachers staying in Britain unless they speak good English and pass new "civic engagement tests."

Young Muslim "ambassadors" will also be created to project an Islam-friendly image of Britain, according to the leaked documents.

The strategy calls for funding moderate Islamic newspapers, television and radio stations.

But it demands Muslim leaders in Britain to "work harder" at improving the community’s image and to be "more unequivocal" in their condemnation of terrorism.

‘Disaffected’ Muslims

Many British Muslims believe "democracy is preached but oppression of the Ummah is practiced or tolerated in Palestine, Iraq"

The emphasis on extremism was stressed by intelligence reports that Britain may be harboring as many as 10,000 Al-Qaeda sympathizers, The Sunday Times said.

"The aim is to prevent terrorism by tackling its causes . . . to diminish support for terrorists by influencing social and economic issues," said Sir Andrew Turnbull, the cabinet secretary, who has been assigned to draw up the plan.

It further warn that there is a myriad of "disaffected" young Muslims exploited by "radical" imams.

"Al-Qaeda and its offshoots provide a dramatic pole of attraction for the most disaffected," warned Turnbull.

"This includes some that are well-educated with good economic prospects."

The documents reveal that surveillance of the Muslim community by MI5 found that there are also extremist groups operating within universities to recruit middle-class students.

Underlying Causes

The project addresses the underlying causes on which terrorism thrives, chiefly the marginalization of the Muslim community in comparison with other communities and the British "double standards" in the Middle East.

A Whitehall audit shows that Muslims are three times more likely to be unemployed than the working population as a whole.

Another Home Office audit found that 16% of working-age Muslims had never worked or were long-term unemployed — five times the level among the population as a whole.

The documents further show that more than four out of 10 (43%) had no recognized educational qualification and half of all Muslim women had never worked.

The government is further considering to make anti-Muslim discrimination a criminal offence, set aside prayer rooms in workplaces and create special interest-free mortgages.

The documents indicate that many British Muslims are frustrated by the "double standards" British foreign policy "where democracy is preached but oppression of the Ummah (the Muslim nation) is practiced or tolerated, e.g. in Palestine, Iraq, Kashmir and Chechnya".

The project is part of a government campaign to make the Muslim community feel part and parcel of U.K. society.

The Foreign Office released last December a CD targeting the sizable community, reminding them that their contribution "is not just a matter of history, but a reality in every walk of life".

Muslim organizations have recently embarked on a nationwide anti-terror campaign to "isolate and stop tolerating those spreading hatred against the country using the name of Islam".