A British advertising campaign is launched to prevent people in Pakistan from engaging in extremism. In a series of television and radio commercials, prominent British Muslims declare that it is no contradiction to be British and Muslim and condemn violent extremism. The commercials will be broadcasted on major channels in Pakistan from Monday, 16 February, targeting 15 to 25-year-old males who might be susceptible to extremist ideas.
The campaign, which is funded by the British Foreign Office, was first initiated by Deen International, an organisation specifically set up for this purpose and headed by the chair of the British Muslim Forum, Khurshid Ahmed. The idea occurred to him after the attempted terrorist attacks on Glasgow airport and observations of sentiments in Pakistan.
The main goals of the campaign are to demonstrate that the west is not ‘anti-Islamic’ and that Britain is not against Islam, to show the extent to which Muslims are integrated into British society and to motivate a discussion about the compatibility of liberal and Muslim values.
