UK MUSLIMS BLAME GOV’T FOR RADICALIZATION

Versi said many youths believed the British government had remained silent about the killing of Muslims and not shown concern. (Photo: On Islam) — **Versi said many youths believed the British government had remained silent about the killing of Muslims and not shown concern**. (Photo: On Islam)

London, 7 Jumadil Akhir 1436/27 March 2015 (MINA) – Many British Muslims have been complaining that the UK foreign policy, discrimination and marginalization are the key factors pushing young Muslims to flee and join the so-called Islamic State (ISIL).

“Many of the young leaving the country criticize the (British) government, which has no active foreign policy,” Ahmed Versi, the editor of UK-based The Muslim News, On Islam quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA) as reporting.

Versi warned that discrimination and marginalization faced by Muslims in the UK and the country’s foreign policy were among key reasons why British citizens wanted to join ISIL.

The ongoing war in Syria over the past four years, in which hundreds of thousands were killed by Bashar Al-Assad regime was another factor.

Versi said the constant streams of images and photos showing the killing of people by the Syrian government could have affected people’s decision to go to the country.

Such travels were not opposed by the British government at the beginning of the conflict after the government supported opponents to Al-Assad regime.

The silence of the British government during last Summer Israel war on Gaza, in which hundreds of Palestinian citizens were killed, added to Muslim concerns about their place in the country.

Versi said many youths believed the British government had remained silent about the killing of Muslims and not shown concern.

The media portrayal of the religious minority in the UK, as possible terrorists, has caused many of those who left the UK to stop believing reports relating to ISIL.

“Many young people have lost confidence in the media,” he said.

“Even the government challenges the loyalty of Muslims, asking whether they are British enough, and they do not feel a part of British society,” said Versi.

Britain is home to a sizable Muslim minority of nearly 2.7 million.

In Cambridge, the Muslim community has launched a new campaign targeting the strong bond between mothers and daughters to prevent girls from trying to join the militant groups.

The new initiative was suggested after many girls and women were reported missing across the UK over the past year.

Discouraging youth from joining the fight, mosques across the UK launched a campaign to encourage people to help Syrians through charities regulated by the Charity Commission, instead of going to the countries to help directly. (T/P011/P3)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)