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Blears targets Islamic extremism Internet used to target extremism
(about 8 hours later)
The government is to expand efforts to tackle extremism among young Muslims. Efforts to tackle extremism among young British Muslims must be centred on the internet as well as on mosques, the communities secretary has said.
New measures will include training imams to communicate more effectively, teaching citizenship in mosque schools and funding internet projects. Hazel Blears said £70m in funding to undermine extremist influences would be used to set up websites to encourage young Muslims to talk about identity.
Communities Secretary Hazel Blears is set to announce a £70m funding package aimed at undermining the influence of extremists on young British Muslims. The funding aims to target the most susceptible group - men from 16 to 35.
She is expected to say communities need the strength and skills to "face down a false and perverted ideology". Ms Blears said she was also setting up a panel of Muslim women to act as role models and to advise ministers.
Snooker halls Ms Blear said that, while it was essential to ensure mosques were at the forefront of the battle against extremism, new ways of beating the ever-evolving recruitment methods of extremists must be found.
BBC religious affairs correspondent Robert Pigott said the government has acknowledged its previous strategy of dealing mainly with a few large Muslim organisations has sometimes cut it off from groups with the greatest influence over young Muslims. In some cases, people are isolated from family and friends, indoctrinated and manipulated within a matter of months Hazel Blears
At a conference in London on Wednesday, Ms Blears is expected to say research suggests young men aged between 16 and 35 are most susceptible to the message of extremists. "They use slick media campaigns, reaching out through the internet," she told a conference in London.
This challenge will be with us for years to come, and we must do more to support the next generation in winning it Hazel Blears, Communities Secretary "Predominantly they target young men, with a significant number in their teens."
This is disseminated in so-called ungoverned spaces including on the internet and in bookshops, snooker halls and clubs, she will say. This was done in "ungoverned spaces" including on the internet and in bookshops, snooker halls and clubs, she said.
By setting up local web-based projects where young Muslims can talk about their identities and grievances, it is hoped they will be less likely to be attracted to other sites run by radical groups. She warned that the process of radicalisation could be rapid.
Ms Blears will say: "Given the scale and enduring nature of the threat we face, tough security measures are vital. But they cannot be the whole solution. "In some cases, people are isolated from family and friends, indoctrinated and manipulated within a matter of months."
"We have to overcome this challenge by giving communities the strength and skills to face down a false and perverted ideology. By setting up local web-based projects where young Muslims can talk about their identities and grievances, it was hoped they would be less likely to be attracted to other sites run by radical groups, she said.
"This challenge will be with us for years to come, and we must do more to support the next generation in winning it." National schemes
BBC religious affairs correspondent Robert Pigott said the government had acknowledged that its previous strategy of dealing mainly with a few, large Muslim organisations had sometimes cut it off from groups with the greatest influence over young Muslims.
Of the £70m funding, £25m will be spent on national schemes including training imams to communicate more effectively with youngsters and teaching citizenship in mosque schools.
"It's important to get much better at working with children and young people," Ms Blears said.
"By getting in early, by helping them understand their religion, equipping them with the confidence and skills to challenge and reject those preaching conflict, we can make today and tomorrow's communities more resilient to the violent extremist message."
The other £45m will be allocated to local partnerships over the next three years to be spent on promoting community leadership to withstand extremism.
The new advisory panel of Muslim women is designed to give them a voice on similar issues.