The Government has launched an Islamic Extremism unit, ‘A specialist team of ‘counter-terrorism experts aimed at tackling extremism in prisons’, as the BBC put it.
The announcement comes in the wake of the Westminster terror attacks. But unless they dissuade prison inmates from converting to Islam in the first place, their efforts will have little effect.
The terrorist responsible for Wednesday’s Westminster murders converted to Islam in prison, from information now emerging. He was then radicalised.
Khalid Masood killed four innocent people on Westminster Bridge and around Parliament in London on 22nd March 2017. But he was born Adrian Elms and served time for a string of criminal offences before turning to Islam and becoming a terrorist.
Islamic Extremism books removal plan in August 2016
Last August (2016), the Justice Secretary announced that Islamic extremists would be put in ‘separate units’. The BBC report is in this link. Rt Hon Liz Truss MP also set out plans for the removal of extremist books from prison libraries. She also announced ‘stronger vetting’ of prison chaplains.
A Government Report in that very month had found ‘complacency’ at the ‘growing problem’ of Islamist extremism in jails.
The report highlighted: * Muslim gang culture and the consequent violence, drug trafficking and criminality inspired or directed by these groups;
* Offenders advocating support for Daesh and threats against staff and other prisoners;
* Charismatic Islamic Extremism prisoners acting as self-styled ‘emirs’ and exerting a controlling and radicalising influence on the wider Muslim prison population;
* Aggressive encouragement of conversions to Islam;
* Unsupervised collective worship, sometimes at Friday Prayers including pressure on supervising staff to leave the prayer room;
It went to report on:
* Attempts by Islamic Extremism prisoners to engineer segregation by landing, by wing, or even by prison;
* Attempts to prevent staff searches by claiming dress is religious;
* Books and educational materials promoting extremist literature available in chaplaincy libraries or held by individual prisoners;
* Intimidation of prison Imams;
* Exploitation of staff fear of being labelled racist; and
* Abuse of rules preventing searches of communications between prisoners and lawyers.
Books problem identified in November 2015
But the Justice Department has failed in its primary God-given duty of protecting the public. The BBC reported in July 2016 that five books were regarded as ‘extremist’ by the Prison Service. But they remained in jails in England and Wales for seven months after a review called for their removal.
Ian Acheson’s inspection team first alerted the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) to the presence of the books in November 2015. Mr Acheson then submitted his report in March 2016. Publication of his findings was successively delayed.
One or more of the texts promoting Islamic extremism had been found in chaplaincy rooms at nine of the 11 prisons visited by the review team. The BBC found the order to remove the books was only made on or after 20th June.
Mr Acheson gave evidence to the Commons Justice Committee on 13th July 2016. He said his investigation had found ‘numerous examples’ of books that were ‘extremist in nature in prison chaplaincies’.
Mr Acheson said they contained ‘sometimes sectarian, homophobic and incendiary information that was freely available to vulnerable prisoners in many prisons’. He said there was ‘no obvious control over it’.
Government complacency in April 2015
Moreover, two years ago, as the BBC reports, there was a warning that extremists were not properly monitored. The warning came from the former head of the National Counter Terrorism Security Office . Chris Phillips said staff shortages enabled them to recruit others. But the Justice Secretary of the time, Chris Grayling MP, rejected the claim. A ‘very careful watch’ was kept, he said.
Sounding just like Jim Hacker from ‘Yes Minister’, Mr Grayling said: ‘We will never be complacent about the issue’. Growing even more complacent, he added he had found ‘no evidence’ Mr Phillips’ claim was correct. He even went on to rubbish the credentials of the former detective chief inspector.
There are more than 12,000 Muslims in jails across England and Wales and official 2013 data showed more than 100 Muslims in jail for terrorism offences in Great Britain. We have not been able to find a more up-to-date report.
2010: Prisoners convert to Islam ‘for perks’
But back in 2010, Dame Anne Owers, former chief inspector of prisons, said prisoners were converting to Islam because of ‘perks’. More time out of their cell and better food during Ramadan if they become Muslim were among them.
The Daily Telegraph reported at the time on the reasons given by inmates for switching to Islam. These included the opportunity of ‘support and protection in a group with a powerful identity.’ ‘Perceptions of material advantages of identifying as Muslim’ were also cited. Still others were ‘attracted by the discipline, structure and comfort of the religion’. Interviewees stressed the cohesive nature of Islam compared with other religious faiths for converts and ‘group solidarity’.
Dame Anne Owers’ report, entitled Muslim Prisoners’ Experiences, could not rock the multi-cultural boat. It had to suggest Muslim prisoners are driven to Islamic extremism because they are treated as potential radicals while in jail. But it is understandable for prison officers to take such a view. She said, ‘There was very little comment from staff about Islam as a positive force’.
Converts ‘more vulnerable to Islamic extremism’
Thirty percent of the Muslims she interviewed had been converted to Islam in prison. There was ‘an over-representation of black Muslim prisoners compared with black Muslims in the community’. Dame Anne went on: ‘This was reflected in our sample of converts of whom 65% (n=32) were black, 18% (n=9) white and 16% (n=8) of mixed heritage. None were (sic) Asian.’
Dame Anne voiced a particular concern about converts to Islam. The BBC reports her as citing internal research showing they are more vulnerable to Islamic extremism. But she also said suspicion of Muslim prisoners could fuel resentment and cause even more trouble. Of course, an establishment figure would say that.
The Independent’s Adam Deen gives further reasons why new converts are so easily radicalised here.
The Government, she said, ‘sees the influence of Muslim chaplains explicitly as a key part of the strategy for minimising extremism in prisons’. Christian Voice believes the primary objective should be to prevent prisoners converting to Islam in the first place. Much more effort should be put into supporting Christian evangelism in prisons.
Christian evangelism reduces re-offending
Many of the public do not realise that it is entirely possible to be a Muslim and a criminal. The historic view of the Charity Commission was ‘it is a good thing for a man to have a religion’. Well, not if it is the Mohammedan religion.
It is perfectly possible to run a prostitution ring, a drugs factory or a protection racket and be a good Muslim. Islam does not demand repentance. Its first requirement is to confess the Shahadah, a statement about Allah and Mohammed. Secondly, a Muslim performs the five-times-a-day prayer. He also pays the Zakah (poor-due), fasts during Ramadan and goes on the Hajj.
In contrast, faith in Jesus Christ involves repentance. The Christian faith involves a relationship with Jesus Christ, and a desire to live according to his ways.
The emphasis on turning away from sin is why studies show that Christian prison evangelism reduces re-offending. There should be massive Government support for Christian evangelistic outreach in prison. Possibly fears of Evangelical rejection of sexual sin put the Christian faith at odds with contemporary mores. But peoples’ lives are at stake here. If a prisoner chooses muscular Christianity over Islam it is not just his life which is changed. Innocent people will be protected from his criminality. Crucially, they could be saved from the consequences of Islamic extremism.
Government has a duty to protect its citizens from lawlessness. Ministries like the Prison Fellowship and Way4ward (part of Transformed) should be encouraged and supported by Government. Churches too could become more aware and supportive of these ministries.
Prisoners ‘coerced’
The BBC quoted ex-prisoner John Shelly, who was inside for 15 years. He said prisoners were being ‘coerced into doing that by some of what you might call the more prominent Muslims that are inside for various offences.’
Shelly spent time in more than 40 jails including HMP Whitemoor, a prison with a large Muslim population. Last year, chief inspector of prisons Nick Hardwick said some of its inmates who had been convicted of terrorism offences were trying to influence and pressurise others.
Shelly was released from prison in 2015 after serving a 15-year sentence for armed robbery. He said prisoners would often “join the extremists” because they were promised protection. Worryingly, he claims to have seen prisoners plotting acts of terror as well as endorsing groups such as Islamic State and al-Qaeda.
Not enough staff
He said: ‘Extremism – it’s grown and grown by the day and they’ve found themselves in a situation where they can’t separate anyone because wherever they separate them to, they’re just mixing them with other people who have the same view and same sort of message.’
Mr Phillips said: “The answer is to get into the prisons and to make sure the most susceptible people are kept away from those that might turn those into extremists and, at this moment, we cannot even keep drugs out of prison, we can’t keep mobile phones out of prison, so clearly there is not enough staff to do that.”
Muslim former prisoner Hassan said he had been unfairly discriminated against. But interestingly, he went on to boast about the converts he had made: ‘I was inside for 14 years, and a lot of people became Muslim through me,’ he said. How many of those went on to be radicalised into Islamic extremism?
Converted in prison
All the evidence now points to Khalid Masood having converted to Islam in prison before becoming radicalised.
He was born Adrian Elms to 17-year-old Janet Elms in Kent. The Daily Telegraph reported Miss Elms married one Phillip Ajao in Sussex when Adrian was a small child. In a peculiar twist, Janet and Philip Ajao now live in a farm near Trelech in Carmarthenshire, just four miles from where this article is being written. There is much sympathy for Janet locally, estranged from her son and finding herself the centre of journalistic attention.
Masood/Elms had been jailed repeatedly for violent crime dating back to the 1980s, including grievous bodily harm, possession of offensive weapons and assault. He was never jailed for terrorism offences. In one report the Guardian claimed, ‘Police said Masood had been inspired by Islamic State’.
Former friend Lee Lawrence, who lives in Northiam, said: ‘It was while he was inside that Ade turned to Islam.’
‘He loved scaring people. He got off on being the hard man’ Mr Lawrence went to say Elms ‘wasn’t stupid’ and ‘was very articulate and intelligent’ But when he got angry ‘he would just snap and became a different person. It was terrifying. There was something inside his brain he just couldn’t control.’
Became a Muslim in Lewes prison in Sussex
Childhood friend Mark Ashdown told The Sun the man he knew as Adrian Elms announced his conversion to Islam after serving his first jail sentence in Lewes prison in Sussex. ‘When he first came out he told me he’d become a Muslim in prison and I thought he was joking.’
‘Then I saw he was quieter and much more serious. I gave him some cash-in-hand work for a few months as a labourer. He said he needed time to pray and read the Quran – something about finding inner peace.’
The Independent adds that Mr Ashdown said Masood still showed ‘flashes of the old Ade’, described as an ‘all round nice guy’ but they were few and far between. His friend had become violent and became increasingly ‘religious’.
It is unclear whether Massod/Elms’ radicalisation occurred during his imprisonment at Lewes Prison, Wayland Prison in Norfolk or Ford open prison in West Sussex. However, we also know Elms spent time teaching in Saudi Arabia.
The paper goes on: ‘Masood’s abrupt religious conversion will fuel concerns about the rising threat of criminals being brought under the influence of hardened jihadis while in prison – a pattern repeated time and again in Europe among Isis militants including those who carried out the Brussels and Paris attacks.’
Radicalised in prison
Islamic State hailed Masood as a “soldier of the Islamic State” in a claim of responsibility issued the following day. However, the extent of any involvement by the terrorist group remains unclear. The group has a history of grabbing the limelight in the wake of terror attacks.
Shashank Joshi, a senior research fellow at the security thinktank the Royal United Services Institute, said: ‘We have always known that it is exceptionally hard to understand who will become a terrorist. Masood is unusual in that only a minority become radicalised over the age of 30. His criminal record is unsurprising, as some studies show that a significant proportion of jihadists have had prior convictions.’
Mrs May, speaking in parliament early on Thursday, said Masood was ‘not part of the current intelligence picture’. She said: ‘Our working assumption is that the attacker was inspired by Islamist ideology’. The Guardian reported that MI5 has a list of some 3,000 British nationals ‘regarded as potentially capable of committing an act of domestic terrorism’. Massod/Elms was not among them.
What the Government can do against Islamic Extremism
There is a limit to what Government can do to prevent attacks like the one Masood carried out. But preventing prisoners from becoming Muslim in the first place is something they can do by segregation and the banning of extremist literature and books in foreign languages from prison libraries and chapels. Furthermore, they could even consider separating Muslim prisoners into separate jails. Christian evangelism should also be encouraged. Pray the safety of the public is not sacrificed on the altar of political correctness.
This is what happens when you let islam into a country, helped by PC multiculturalism. Until, islam is recognised as an evil ideology, nothing will change, they’ll keep spouting the same PC bs, trying to pretend that a problem doesn’t exist. The only solution is to deport ALL muslims, imo: this is not going to happen, so we can all just wait to be taken over. As a society, we have rejected God (JHWH), who gave us the greatest civilisation the world has ever seen, now we must face the consequences. How we have spat in His face, most notably with gay marriage. We are throwing away our greatness. (is there an honest man left?) Nothing short of national repentance, which I know is one of your priorities, Stephen, will save us: personally, I’m not optimistic, but then I’ve never had a great faith like what you have got, Stephen..
And I’m afraid I won’t hold my breath waiting for the government to “support Christian evangelism”, Stephen.
A lot of people have made terrible mistakes, then Mark. As you know, in 1940 Churchill’s cabinet donated £100,000 towards what became Regent’s Park Mosque, and George VI opened an Islamic Cultural Centre there in 1944. But lots of Muslims had already been let into the country already, to make this viable. You should have spoken out before.
But there are lots of Poles here too. If they are not sent back to their own country, perhaps we will be taken over by them instead. Or by the Irish.
I know you are just trolling here, but it is worth pointing out for the weaker brethren that the Poles just want to work. They are not interested in establishing a foreign law system, as the Muslims are.
And I want to say fair play to the Muslims. They have their Quran and their Hadith. They are merely following their religion in wanting a world-wide Caliphate. It is up to Western Governments to resist them, and up to Christians to pray for and witness to their governments so they do that and dump anti-Christian multi-culturalism along the way. Our ideas of freedom, fair play, etc etc originate in Christianity, but to employ those Christian virtues to allow Islamic expansionism into Europe is to saw off the branch you are sitting on.
It s the same with atheism of course. Giving in to that is a similar sawing exercise. The difference is, atheists don’t immigrate, progenate and terrorise their way to power. Not while they have godless politicians to do their bidding, the secularist establishment to support them and the Conway Hall to meet in, in any event.
However, secularism in the West, in Britain for sure, has created the spiritual vacuum which Islam is now filling. The challenge for Christians is that we have failed adequately to proclaim faith in Jesus Christ and the total Gospel, so allowing the vacuum to develop. But it’s not over yet.
Surely banning “extremist literature” would mean banning the koran?
How do you define “literature”, though ? Arabs love its poetry, but in prose translation it doesn’t seem very well written.
He means anything extremist in writing. I’m sure he’ll include the Quran. I would ban anything in a foreign language, me. Vous comprennez?
Who is this “he” who you are sure “will ban” the Koran ? Mark Jones ? A future prime minister ? The justice secretary looks like a woman to me.
Sauf ça, je comprends. Tu peux me tutoyer, si tu veux.
What you call “trolling” in this context is what used to be known as presenting a reductio ad absurdum argument. As Robin would have told you, that is a method of proving the falsity of a premise by showing that its logical consequence is absurd.
If, as Mark suggests, letting Muslims into a country leads to them taking over, consider the countries where this didn’t happen, for example Yugoslavia (with up to 17% Muslims). There are plenty of other countries where there has been a minority of Muslims for centuries (for example 7% in Guyana) but they have not taken over.
He might just as well say that letting in substantial numbers of Roman Catholics will lead to them taking over, but that doesn’t happen, at least not politically. From the point of view of religion, to some extent it does, as the prominence of Roman Catholics in areas like Liverpool demonstrates. If they can evangelise more successfully than Protestants or than English Roman Catholics, it must be accepted that they can do so (but in this particular case, the rules about bringing up all children of mixed marriages as Catholics, and insisting on Catholic schools, are unfair) .
Most certainly the production of Islamist extremists in prison is a big problem. But you could go too far in countering it, creating a violent reaction. Korans are allowed (indeed issued) even in Guantanamo Bay, which is not exactly a politically correct institution ! The article mentions the Koran as being homophobic. I understand that the Bible is homophobic. There is a move to ban books in foreign languages, a blow to Muslims who are supposed to understand the Koran in Arabic (not that most of them do). But would Greek New Testaments be banned to newly converted Christian prisoners studying for ordination ? Or foreign material to prisoners studying for A level French or German, as some do ? It shouldn’t be impossible at all to provide reliable establishment agents who can read Arabic (or Urdu etc) and check what is in each book before banning it. I’m sure GCHQ (for example) has officers who are fluent in these languages.
I should imagine that quite a few British atheists were among those who emigrated and took power in countries abroad, using some force which could be called “terrorism” if you were on the receiving end of it. Not that this was altogether wrong, as most colonies did ultimately benefit as a result, but you can’t claim it was 100% a Christian activity. The convicts sent to Australia were far from being gentle missionaries, for example.
The Bangladeshis who came to Bradford in the 1970s came to work in the textile industry, just as Jews had come before them to work as tailors. and as Poles come to work as plumbers and bus drivers. They had no intention of converting Yorkshire to Islam and taking control of it.
1970 was before 2001.
I don’t see that Mark was referring to Islam only let in since 2001.
He and others (notably Georgia) would have us believe that Islam is an evil ideology which has been unchanged for centuries, and has always inevitably had unpleasant results. It’s usually me who points out that things haven’t inevitably gone so badly in the past in practice.
Well, yes, not so bad unless you happened to be Mecca in 624 or in Syria, Egypt or Persia in the 7th century or Spain in the 8th century or Jerusalem in the 10th or 11th century or Bengal in the 13th century or the Balkans in 1529 or Famagusta in 1571 or Armenia between 1915 and 1917 or …
As I have pointed out on other occasions, if you had more than five stories showing at the side at one time, not only would your readers have more choice, but stories would not disappear so quickly (in this case in a week).
It was not much fun to be a non-Christian (and there were many of them) in South America in the 16th century, so let’s discount that.
Between the 13th century and 1915 is a huge gap, just the sort of gap I have been tirelessly trying to get Mark and Georgia to appreciate. You will doubtless be able to find some more incidents, but nobody would suggest that Christian Europe was at peace all that time. Actually, the most prolonged internally peaceful period for Europe has been under the European Union, and there is little prospect despite everything of that changing any time soon.
Well done, that’s much better !
Thank you.