Women's Empowerment and Leadership Development for Democratisation

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UK: Listening for a voice of Muslim youth

War in Iraq has brought the opinions of British Muslims to the fore - but what influence does the radical fringe have on the young?
This news item, from the mainstream British media, may be of interest. It highlights some of the issues that WLUML has been discussing regarding the common patterns behind a growth in fundamentalisms. Having ignored racism and deprivation in minority communities for many years, the British media has now become increasingly concerned about the rising extremism among minority youth. The British government is also actively trying to reach out to 'moderate Muslims' including dialoguing with women's groups. WLUML is involved in this process although we have repeatedly had to remind the Minister that the 'Muslim community' is extremely diverse and has multiple identities in addition to or instead of their 'Muslim identity'.

The BBC reports, 'Somewhere in the US's Camp X-Ray in Guantanamo Bay, there are a number of young British men. The men, including a trio dubbed the 'Tipton Taleban' remain incarcerated after being seized by US forces in Afghanistan. Why would men such as Asif Iqbal, Shafiq Rasul and Rahul Ahmed leave their West Midlands homes to allegedly fight abroad? Paradise, a new play in Birmingham, home to the second largest Muslim community in Britain, explores these ideas.'