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| Reyaad Khan killing shocks former neighbours in Cardiff | Reyaad Khan killing shocks former neighbours in Cardiff |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Salim, a 40-year-old taxi driver, was watching his two teenage sons kicking a football around on a terraced street within earshot (at least when the crowd is in good voice) of Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium. | Salim, a 40-year-old taxi driver, was watching his two teenage sons kicking a football around on a terraced street within earshot (at least when the crowd is in good voice) of Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium. |
| “I hope they’ll play for Wales at the Millennium one day. Wouldn’t that be good – Asian kids from this area achieving something great?” he said. | |
| “We’re sick of hearing stories about terrorism, radicalisation and extremism and seeing satellite news vans turning up. That’s not what this area is about at all. It’s just a few kids who have been corrupted. The vast majority – 99.9% – are law-abiding and love this country.” | |
| The revelation that 21-year-old Reyaad Khan, who swapped these streets in the Riverside area of Cardiff for Syria to fight alongside Islamic State, had been killed in an RAF drone strike has been met with shock and disbelief by his family, former friends and neighbours like Salim. | The revelation that 21-year-old Reyaad Khan, who swapped these streets in the Riverside area of Cardiff for Syria to fight alongside Islamic State, had been killed in an RAF drone strike has been met with shock and disbelief by his family, former friends and neighbours like Salim. |
| “I still find it hard to compute. It still doesn’t seem real to me,” he said. Had it prompted him to speak to his sons about the dangers of extremism? “No, they’re sensible lads. They know right from wrong.” | “I still find it hard to compute. It still doesn’t seem real to me,” he said. Had it prompted him to speak to his sons about the dangers of extremism? “No, they’re sensible lads. They know right from wrong.” |
| Not all in Cardiff are so sure. Some community leaders and politicians fear that many families may still not be taking the threat of radicalisation seriously enough. There is concern that the authorities are failing to take effective action to try to ensure no other young people follow the example of Khan and his friends the Muthana brothers – Nasser, 21, and Aseel, 18 – who left Cardiff for Syria at the same time. | Not all in Cardiff are so sure. Some community leaders and politicians fear that many families may still not be taking the threat of radicalisation seriously enough. There is concern that the authorities are failing to take effective action to try to ensure no other young people follow the example of Khan and his friends the Muthana brothers – Nasser, 21, and Aseel, 18 – who left Cardiff for Syria at the same time. |
| Mohammed Islam, a community leader and friend of the Khan family, said he feared that others were still at serious and imminent risk of radicalisation. “I believe that too many families just think: ‘It won’t happen to us.’ And I don’t think the council or the police are doing enough to get to the heart of what is going on. | Mohammed Islam, a community leader and friend of the Khan family, said he feared that others were still at serious and imminent risk of radicalisation. “I believe that too many families just think: ‘It won’t happen to us.’ And I don’t think the council or the police are doing enough to get to the heart of what is going on. |
| “They talk about it, they appoint people to various positions, they invite people to the council house and launch programmes, but we don’t see them in the community talking at the local level to people.” | “They talk about it, they appoint people to various positions, they invite people to the council house and launch programmes, but we don’t see them in the community talking at the local level to people.” |
| Cardiff has a long and proud history of multiculturalism. There has been a Muslim community here since at least the 19th century when Yemeni sailors arrived, and the Welsh capital has some of the longest established mosques in Britain. In the wards of Riverside and Butetown, the dockside area where the Muthana brothers lived, about 20% of the population described themselves as Muslim in the last census. | |
| Neil McEvoy, leader of the Welsh nationalist party Plaid Cymru on Cardiff city council, who has a grandfather from Yemen, said that for decades there had been good integration in Cardiff. “But nevertheless, a fascist revolutionary group is managing to get some sort of hold here and radicalise our young people,” he said. | Neil McEvoy, leader of the Welsh nationalist party Plaid Cymru on Cardiff city council, who has a grandfather from Yemen, said that for decades there had been good integration in Cardiff. “But nevertheless, a fascist revolutionary group is managing to get some sort of hold here and radicalise our young people,” he said. |
| McEvoy accused the council and police of not doing enough to engage with the community on the issue. “And at the same time we are seeing cuts in areas such as youth provision and adult education. It means there are fewer opportunities for young people. They are vulnerable and more open to radicalisation.” | McEvoy accused the council and police of not doing enough to engage with the community on the issue. “And at the same time we are seeing cuts in areas such as youth provision and adult education. It means there are fewer opportunities for young people. They are vulnerable and more open to radicalisation.” |
| But Khan and the Muthana brothers were successful and aspirational. Khan was a straight-A student who once said he wanted to be the UK’s first Asian prime minister. Nasser Muthana dreamed of being a doctor; his younger brother, Aseel, a teacher. All were born in Britain. Khan’s parents have south Asian origins while the Muthanas’ father is a retired electrical engineer from Aden, in Yemen. | |
| The method of their radicalisation is unclear. There is no proof that they were turned by anyone they met at any of the city’s mosques or at the schools or colleges they attended, only a swirl of rumours and allegations. | The method of their radicalisation is unclear. There is no proof that they were turned by anyone they met at any of the city’s mosques or at the schools or colleges they attended, only a swirl of rumours and allegations. |
| The mosques have tended to either shut up shop and not discuss what has happened or blame each other. The police have made links between Khan and the Muthana brothers and other radicalised youngsters across the UK but, as far as anyone can tell, have not got to the bottom of what triggered their flight to Syria. | The mosques have tended to either shut up shop and not discuss what has happened or blame each other. The police have made links between Khan and the Muthana brothers and other radicalised youngsters across the UK but, as far as anyone can tell, have not got to the bottom of what triggered their flight to Syria. |
| Sara Khan, of the counter-extremism organisation Inspire, recently ran a conference for Muslim mothers in Cardiff. She said women there felt that not enough was being done on a day-to-day basis to challenge the ideology of Isis. | Sara Khan, of the counter-extremism organisation Inspire, recently ran a conference for Muslim mothers in Cardiff. She said women there felt that not enough was being done on a day-to-day basis to challenge the ideology of Isis. |
| Perhaps surprisingly, persuading mothers to attend the conference proved difficult. Shakilah Malik, a youth worker who was also involved in the conference, claimed some people were “in denial” about the possibility of their children being radicalised. | Perhaps surprisingly, persuading mothers to attend the conference proved difficult. Shakilah Malik, a youth worker who was also involved in the conference, claimed some people were “in denial” about the possibility of their children being radicalised. |
| The city council insists it is working hard to tackle extremism. Daniel De’Ath, the cabinet member for skills, safety, engagement and democracy, said: “With our key partners, the council is working within the community to understand and respond to the risk of radicalisation.” | |
| He said the authority was delivering two main initiatives. One, called Upstanding Neighbourhoods, is part of a national programme intended to enable communities to challenge radical messages with strong messages of their own. | |
| The council has also launched a “young leaders programme” aimed at developing role models and mentors in the community who can promote a positive Muslim perspective to counter extremist views. | |
| De’Ath did not sound confident that the programmes would draw a line under the problem. “This is an area of work which, sadly, we do not see diminishing in the foreseeable future,” he said. | De’Ath did not sound confident that the programmes would draw a line under the problem. “This is an area of work which, sadly, we do not see diminishing in the foreseeable future,” he said. |
| Ironically, the revelation of how Khan died came at the start of a police extremism awareness week that involves officers across Wales being briefed by members of the government’s Prevent strategy team about how to spot signs of radicalisation. | Ironically, the revelation of how Khan died came at the start of a police extremism awareness week that involves officers across Wales being briefed by members of the government’s Prevent strategy team about how to spot signs of radicalisation. |
| DCI Jon Evans, who heads the Prevent agenda within the Welsh extremism and counter-terrorism unit, said the focus was on engaging with young people, women and families. “Local communities and families have a vital role to play in helping to prevent tragedies on our doorstep,” he said. | DCI Jon Evans, who heads the Prevent agenda within the Welsh extremism and counter-terrorism unit, said the focus was on engaging with young people, women and families. “Local communities and families have a vital role to play in helping to prevent tragedies on our doorstep,” he said. |
| The worry now is that the story of Reyaad Khan and the Muthana brothers risks damaging race relations in Cardiff. Naz, a 17-year-old student found tucking into lunch at the Subway branch outside the new Cardiff and Vale College campus in Butetown, described how someone had yelled “Paki” at him as he walked to lectures. | The worry now is that the story of Reyaad Khan and the Muthana brothers risks damaging race relations in Cardiff. Naz, a 17-year-old student found tucking into lunch at the Subway branch outside the new Cardiff and Vale College campus in Butetown, described how someone had yelled “Paki” at him as he walked to lectures. |
| “I must admit I hadn’t heard that for a while. It was a shock but you get it every time there is one of these stories around,” he said. “Hopefully it will fade – at least until next time.” | “I must admit I hadn’t heard that for a while. It was a shock but you get it every time there is one of these stories around,” he said. “Hopefully it will fade – at least until next time.” |
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