Clumsy government satire seeks to discourage German Muslims from turning to Salafism

North-Rhine Westphalia (NRW), the most populous of Germany’s 16 federal states, has rolled out a new anti-terrorism programme: a satirical YouTube channel called Jihadi Fool. Run by the state’s domestic intelligence agency, the Landesamt für Verfassungsschutz, the channel’s videos are supposed to “fight fire with fire” and drive home “the absurdity of radicalisation, terrorism and…

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UN representative criticises Prevent duty for impacting racial equality in the UK

The UN special rapporteur on racism, Professor Tendayi Achiume, has criticised the Prevent duty for fuelling distrust among ethnic minority communities and for impacting racial equality in the UK. Her comments came as she observed that Brexit has contributed to an environment of increased “explicit racial, ethnic and religious intolerance” in the UK.

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Report finds some individuals have been referred to Prevent by National Health Service staff for watching Arabic TV or going on pilgrimage to Mecca

The report, entitled ‘Counter-terrorism in the NHS’, found that a number of NHS staff are unaware of how to implement the Prevent initiative, corresponding with findings by the BMJ, and adds to already well-established concerns about the counter-terrorism programme.

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UK counter-terror chief warns tech and social media firms must do more to combat increasing threat of ‘remote radicalisation’

Mark Rowley, Britain’s top counter-terrorism officer, has criticised technology and social media firms for their lack of commitment in countering the online terrorist threat. Isis’ recent emphasis on supporters carrying out ‘lone wolf attacks’ has made the phenomenon an increasing reality, and some Islamic communities are taking theological steps to counter this threat.

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European Parliament’s Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality publishes new report on radicalisation, violent extremism and women

The report examines women’s involvement with radicalisation and violent extremism in the EU, programmes in place to prevent and counter this, and the role of women themselves in these programmes.

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