Radicals in Birmingham, Jihadi Capital? - VPRO documentary
1,029In Birmingham, the second city in England, one in five inhabitants is Muslim. Stigmatization and exclusion ensure that young Muslims are sensitive to the message of jihad recruiters. Can we prevent the rise of radicals in Birmingham? A significant number of convicted Islamists have a connection with Birmingham, also referred to in the English media as 'Jihadi Capital'. Do anti-radicalization programs pass their goal?
In order to prevent radicalization, the British government started the anti-radicalization program 'Prevent' in 2003. The aim of the program is to identify radicalization at an early stage by gathering information from its own Muslim community. Teachers, welfare workers, spiritual leaders and parents are called in to recognize and report the first signs of radicalization. Since 2015, there has been a legal requirement for teachers, for example, to actually identify young people who are behaving suspiciously. As a result, the community threatens to become an extension of the investigative apparatus.
Does this policy, aimed at preventing radicalization, not do the opposite? And does it not therefore undermine confidence and social cohesion instead of strengthening it?
In the mainly Islamic district of Sparkhill, in Birmingham, we speak with ex-jihadis, youth workers and mothers about the attraction of jihad and the importance of trust and resistance.
Originally broadcasted by VPRO in 2017.
© VPRO Backlight November 2017
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Credits:
Director: Nirit Peled
English, French and Spanish subtitles: Ericsson.
French and Spanish subtitles are co-funded by European Union.