British Counter-Terrorism After 7/7: Adapting Community Policing to the Fight Against Domestic Terrorism

Limits of UK Counterterrorism Policy and its Implications for Islamophobia and Far Right Extremism

“…Fifth, the ways in which Prevent can be reconfigured in the light of ongoing issues in relation to extremism is discussed with policy suggestions put forward. In conclusion, we argue that there are severe limitations to UK counterterrorism policy, some of which have the potential to make matters worse due to a focus on religion and culture rather than focusing on social structure or the lack of agency as the main concern (Klausen 2009). Furthermore, there are issues of cultural racism that are seemingly embedded in society as patterns of Islamophobia, xenophobia and racism continue to take hold.…”

“…These complexities are the reason for many different approaches taken by the UK government, where Sufi, liberal and progressive groups as well as established Doebandi and Jamaaet-e-Islami ones have all had various associations with government, particularly during the New Labour era (1997)(1998)(1999)(2000)(2001)(2002)(2003)(2004)(2005)(2006)(2007)(2008)(2009)(2010), but with limited degrees of success (Bowen 2014). Such processes had the effect of immunising certain Muslim groups because of the partnership language used by government policy (Klausen 2009). …”

Citizenship, Belonging and Attachment in the ‘War on Terror’

“…'In the name of justice and democracy' the existence of threats and risks of unprecedented levels have been used to contest the rights attributed to citizens under legislation such as the Human Rights Act 1998 (Hudson 2009: 702). Though making legitimate procedural law violations which under non counter terrorism legislation would constitute injustice, counter terrorism legislation has led to questions regarding police legitimacy, trust and policing by consent (Grabosky 2008;Klausen 2009). Counter terrorism policing reflects a form of policing where due process is not prioritised and this is of central importance given that due process prioritises fairness, justice and liberty -which are vital components of citizens' legal status.…”

The Muslim Question in Europe

“…. who hold views that run counter to our values and say there is a need to combat Th e United Kingdom, conventionally dubbed soft on terrorism due to a penchant for protecting civil liberties (Klausen 2010;Leiken 2005), has in fact passed legislation similar to that of France. Even before 9/11, Parliament had enacted the Terrorism Act of 2000, Section 44 of which authorized police in designated areas to "stop and search" any persons regardless of whether they are suspected of terrorist activity.…”

“…Th e result is "paradoxical eff ects and unintended consequences" (Friedrichs 2008: 3), producing "messy, localized, complicated realities" (Ireland 2010: 34). Such policy messiness turns up in most European governments and therefore casts doubt on the theory of distinct national styles of counter-terrorism such as French assimilation and deportation versus British multiculturalism and conciliation (Klausen 2010;Kirschner and Sperling 2010;Leiken 2005).…”