The British government has produced a lexicon of phrases and terms that should be used by civil servants when dealing with Muslims to avoid any implication that there is a link between Islam and terrorism. “To engage effectively with local communities, we need consistent, clear and appropriate communications,” said a Home Office spokeswoman on Monday. She said ambiguous messages will not reach or be understood by the target communities. “We risk having a negative impact on our audiences.” Compiled by a Home Office unit set up last year to win the hearts and minds of Muslims, the phrasebook advises civil servants to use terms such as “violent extremism” instead of “terrorism.” It replaces “Islamophobia” with “discrimination” and describe those carrying out attacks in the name of Islam, criminals, murderers or thugs rather than “fundamentalist-jihadi” or “terrorists”http://themuslimweekly.com/newsdetails/fullstoryview.aspx?NewsID=5A09598A0B99B8DA7AB89D7A&MENUID=HOMENEWS&DESCRIPTION=UK%20News (link temporary; some news sites may require registration)
