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| David Cameron Calls on Muslims in Britain to Help End Extremism | David Cameron Calls on Muslims in Britain to Help End Extremism |
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| LONDON — Calling the battle with Islamist extremism “the struggle of our generation,” Prime Minister David Cameron of Britain on Monday asserted that British values were to be shared by everyone living there and promised that the government would no longer “turn a blind eye on the basis of cultural sensitivities.” | LONDON — Calling the battle with Islamist extremism “the struggle of our generation,” Prime Minister David Cameron of Britain on Monday asserted that British values were to be shared by everyone living there and promised that the government would no longer “turn a blind eye on the basis of cultural sensitivities.” |
| Speaking in Birmingham, Britain’s second-largest city, which has a substantial Muslim minority population, Mr. Cameron called on his country’s Muslims to work with the government to “condemn conspiracy theories,” reject violence and speak more forcefully “to challenge and defeat” the extremist misinterpretation of Islam, which he called “a religion of peace.” | |
| While extremists “self-identify” with Islam, Mr. Cameron said, “we need to challenge them and need the help of Muslim scholars to help defeat them, and Muslim communities and scholars to say they’re wrong.” | While extremists “self-identify” with Islam, Mr. Cameron said, “we need to challenge them and need the help of Muslim scholars to help defeat them, and Muslim communities and scholars to say they’re wrong.” |
| Downing Street billed the speech as one of Mr. Cameron’s most important, laying out a “counter-extremist strategy for the next five years,” and began providing excerpts to the British news media on Friday. But as delivered, the speech had few specifics, with Mr. Cameron saying a strategy would be published “in the autumn.” | Downing Street billed the speech as one of Mr. Cameron’s most important, laying out a “counter-extremist strategy for the next five years,” and began providing excerpts to the British news media on Friday. But as delivered, the speech had few specifics, with Mr. Cameron saying a strategy would be published “in the autumn.” |
| Mr. Cameron is also committed to fighting the Islamic State abroad, and Britain is conducting airstrikes in Iraq as part of the American-led coalition against the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL. Mr. Cameron is lobbying Parliament to expand the strikes to Syrian territory held by the Islamic State, but a vote is not expected until September. | Mr. Cameron is also committed to fighting the Islamic State abroad, and Britain is conducting airstrikes in Iraq as part of the American-led coalition against the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL. Mr. Cameron is lobbying Parliament to expand the strikes to Syrian territory held by the Islamic State, but a vote is not expected until September. |
| But Monday’s speech was about the domestic challenge, and Mr. Cameron laid out an analysis of young British Muslims’ attraction to jihad, saying it was important to understand the problem while trying to solve it. “We have to confront a tragic truth: that there are people born and raised in this country who don’t really identify with Britain,” he said. | But Monday’s speech was about the domestic challenge, and Mr. Cameron laid out an analysis of young British Muslims’ attraction to jihad, saying it was important to understand the problem while trying to solve it. “We have to confront a tragic truth: that there are people born and raised in this country who don’t really identify with Britain,” he said. |
| Mr. Cameron mentioned some of the elements that can draw young Britons to Islamic extremism: its newness, energy and notoriety; the power of the radical voices that “drown out” moderate ones; and concerns about “identity” and “belonging.” | Mr. Cameron mentioned some of the elements that can draw young Britons to Islamic extremism: its newness, energy and notoriety; the power of the radical voices that “drown out” moderate ones; and concerns about “identity” and “belonging.” |
| “The extremist worldview, both violent and nonviolent, is what we have to defeat,” he said, arguing that this task could not be handled by government without the help of Muslim leaders, parents, clerics and teachers. | “The extremist worldview, both violent and nonviolent, is what we have to defeat,” he said, arguing that this task could not be handled by government without the help of Muslim leaders, parents, clerics and teachers. |
| Mr. Cameron, returning to one of his common themes, criticized what he said was the overly careful treatment of religious minorities in Britain and said his government would more forcefully confront “some pretty uncomfortable debates” about faith-based issues such as forced marriage, female genital cutting, indoctrination in schools and the legitimacy of Shariah courts. | Mr. Cameron, returning to one of his common themes, criticized what he said was the overly careful treatment of religious minorities in Britain and said his government would more forcefully confront “some pretty uncomfortable debates” about faith-based issues such as forced marriage, female genital cutting, indoctrination in schools and the legitimacy of Shariah courts. |
| He promised more vigorous prosecution of crimes related to those issues and said that the government would make it possible for parents to cancel the passports of their minor children if they feared that the children would travel to join jihad. | He promised more vigorous prosecution of crimes related to those issues and said that the government would make it possible for parents to cancel the passports of their minor children if they feared that the children would travel to join jihad. |
| Mr. Cameron said his government wanted “to isolate the extremists” and “embolden voices in the Muslim community” to condemn extremism that sees a Western conspiracy against Islam or traffics in anti-Semitism. | Mr. Cameron said his government wanted “to isolate the extremists” and “embolden voices in the Muslim community” to condemn extremism that sees a Western conspiracy against Islam or traffics in anti-Semitism. |
| And he repeated his call for Internet and social media companies to do more to help the government and parents fight militants’ propaganda and recruiting. While those companies are “happy to engineer technologies that track our likes and our dislikes” to promote their business interests, Mr. Cameron said, “when it comes to doing what’s right in the fight against terrorism, we too often hear that it’s all too difficult. I’m sorry, I just don’t buy that.” | And he repeated his call for Internet and social media companies to do more to help the government and parents fight militants’ propaganda and recruiting. While those companies are “happy to engineer technologies that track our likes and our dislikes” to promote their business interests, Mr. Cameron said, “when it comes to doing what’s right in the fight against terrorism, we too often hear that it’s all too difficult. I’m sorry, I just don’t buy that.” |
| To undermine its attraction and “deglamorize” radical Islam, Mr. Cameron said he wanted the help of people who had been involved in jihad and become disaffected by it, as well as assistance from Britain’s Syrian, Iraqi and Kurdish communities to explain the damage the Islamic State is doing. He also announced a new effort to create more job opportunities for minorities. | To undermine its attraction and “deglamorize” radical Islam, Mr. Cameron said he wanted the help of people who had been involved in jihad and become disaffected by it, as well as assistance from Britain’s Syrian, Iraqi and Kurdish communities to explain the damage the Islamic State is doing. He also announced a new effort to create more job opportunities for minorities. |
| Mr. Cameron’s speech was largely greeted with approval, but some Muslim leaders said he was reinforcing the idea of “us versus them.” Qari Asim, an imam from Leeds, told the BBC that “Muslims feel in a way victims in all of this, because ISIL have hijacked our faith.” | Mr. Cameron’s speech was largely greeted with approval, but some Muslim leaders said he was reinforcing the idea of “us versus them.” Qari Asim, an imam from Leeds, told the BBC that “Muslims feel in a way victims in all of this, because ISIL have hijacked our faith.” |