UK: ministers to recruit young Muslims as advisers

29th August 2008, Daily Mail:

Twenty young Muslims are to become personal advisers to three Cabinet ministers in an attempt by the Government to tackle Islamic extremism.

Labour says the group, aged 16 to 25, will keep Communities Secretary Hazel Blears, Culture Secretary Andy Burnham and Schools Secretary Ed Balls in touch with the mood of Muslim youths.

Ministers hope that listening to and addressing concerns that affect Muslims could ease tensions in multi-cultural communities and cut the risk of them becoming radicalised by extremists.

The Young Muslim Advisory Group, to be launched in October, will also work with Arts Council England and Sport England.

The aim is see how cultural and sporting opportunities, such as the use of football tournaments or music gigs, can reduce tensions within different communities...

Ministers recently announced £12.5million for Muslim communities to fund projects which aim to 'undermine extremist ideology'.

This sounds like something Rudd would do i.e. watch the problem instead of fixing it, like fuel watch and grocery watch. Now it's young Muslim watch. You can't fix an ideology (a) by watching Muslims, and (b) by dealing with young people. It's the same ridiculous level of debate that sees our media talking to Fadi Rahman who, whilst doing good work at the street level, is powerless against Islamic ideology. All this money and endless running around skirting the problem: Islamic ideology. Let's do everything under the sun except what needs to be done, confront the extremist nature of Islam itself.