int attitude very put that down Britain's schools are learning a demanding new subject countering extremism these safeguarding uh matters that are need to be talked about and discussed are quite important for the welfare of the children the community and the school as a whole this school in Bradford has embraced the now compulsory prevent strategy but not without modifying it first our students would have been taken back by that uh just like kind of you know dictating to them and telling them what they are you know unfortunately responsible for however what we did we actually changed
that program and adapted it to our own students so it was kind of a a global message but on a local level for this mother prevent doesn't just have the potential to demonize Muslims it's already a reality eat's 14-year-old son was interrogated alone after mentioning the phrase eot terrorist during a class discussion about the rainforest she said oh you affiliate to Isis and um I think that's when he was really shook up and really scared he felt he was really part of the school Community he's trusted teachers know him he's responsible and then to be
interrogated in that manner um I think it was absolutely shocking and it's creating suspicion and my son now says he's doesn't he's not so vocal in his lessons for fear that anything he says is going to be misconstrued and that's no way for a child to be growing up the number of referrals under the government's deradicalization Channel program has increased dramatically in recent years of the six ,36 individuals referred since 2007 a quarter were made in the last year alone including 577 children under the age of 18 the youngest child referred was just 4 years
old the number of referrals from within schools has also escalated from just 20 in 2012 to 424 last year it's exactly places like this in new am East London with its exceptional diversity that Muslims say they feel particularly single singled out by the prevent strategy and that's creating a deep sense of mistrust which sum a warning could have seriously adverse consequences Khalil laher is one of a group of new imams who this week issued a public statement denouncing prevent we don't need this current prevent strategy the Muslim Community will feel as suspects and them feeling
like suspects will lead to them feeling victimized and this being victimized will sideline the whole community and this is one of the key reasons which could lead to extremism but for others the issue is not about prevent itself but the need for better training for those on the front line there's there's a lot of uh misunderstanding about the terminology and there's a lot of assumptions made the message is very clear that this is not a counterterrorism strategy um targeting the Muslim Community good anybody else yes Issa there's no doubt that a minority of children within
the Muslim Community are vulnerable to radicalization the challenge is how to reach them without making the problem worse sky
