Prevent Radicalization in the UK PDF

Prevent radicalisation in the UK. How do people become radicalised? What exactly is extremism? When does it become dangerous? To answer these questions, we will have a close look at four terms. Radicalisation, extremism, violent extremism and terrorism. Radicalisation is a process. People change ove...

Prevent radicalisation in the UK. How do people become radicalised? What exactly is extremism? When does it become dangerous? To answer these questions, we will have a close look at four terms. Radicalisation, extremism, violent extremism and terrorism. Radicalisation is a process. People change over the course of their lives. When somebody assumes increasingly extreme opinions, this is called radicalisation. These opinions may be political, social or religious. That by itself is not a crime. But we must not look away. Where is the person's path taking them? Radicalisation often starts with fascination for a topic or sympathy for a group. People who become radicalised like what their group does. This takes them deeper and deeper into an extremist ideology. Extremism is a clearly binary world. This exact way is how society should function. Extremism has no interest in diversity, open-mindedness or other views. An extremist idea can be a social order or a religious system. Virtually all extremism considers the world in terms of black and white. There are friends, there are enemies, nothing else. Such an idea can exist in a country that is ruled by fundamental religious rules. They govern public life, the law and the administration of justice. It is a concept of society that is incompatible with our democratic laws in the UK. This is called religious extremism or fundamentalism. Another extremist idea focuses on a culturally pure country that does not tolerate ethnic mixing. This view goes with racism and extreme nationalism. Such an ideology is against our constitution. It is called right-wing extremism. There is an opposite ideology too. It involves the rejection of the state as a whole and any form of authority. Capitalism and the alleged class-based society are believed to be the root of all evil. This ideology is against our constitution too. It is called left-wing extremism. There are other types of extremism too. They all reject the democratic and constitutional foundations of the United Kingdom and they all passionately explain why they do so. Virtually all types of extremism have people who want to enforce their opinions through violence. They are the support or promote violence in some form or they use violence themselves. This is called violent extremism. There are groups who use violence systematically. They try to spread fear and terror in society in order to enforce their own extremist idea. This is called terrorism. When people use violence systematically in order to achieve a religious social order, for example violent Jihad or Jihadism. Disappointment and a sense of alienation lead people to extremist ideologies. Are people around you changing? Are you worried? Specialist centres and contacts near you can be found at your local police station, College and Community centres.