This document summarizes a conference presentation about British media reporting on the British government's Counter-Extremism Strategy (CES). It discusses definitions of extremism in the CES and British values related to religion. It analyzes the narrative around how British values came to be. It also summarizes the topics covered and not covered in British media reporting on the CES, responses to the CES from religious bodies, origins of counter-extremism in policy and definitions of religious extremism in international documents and legislation. It considers whether the CES represents a "new Clarendon Code" or an enlightened approach and questions why the British media has not analyzed the CES in more depth.
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British Media Reporting in response to the British government's Counter-Extremism Strategy
1. British Media Reporting in response to
the British government’s Counter-
Extremism Strategy
DR. CARYS MOSELEY
LARSN 2016 ANNUAL CONFERENCE, CARDIFF UNIVERSITY, 5 MAY 2016
2. The Counter-Extremism Strategy’s
definition of ‘extremism’
‘Extremism is the vocal or active opposition to
our fundamental values, including democracy,
the rule of law, individual liberty and the mutual
respect and tolerance of different faiths and
beliefs. We also regard calls for the death of
members of our armed forces as extremist.’
[CES, p. 9; Prevent Strategy, June 2011]
3. ‘British values’ in relation to religion
All people living in Britain are free to practise a faith or to
decide not to follow any faith at all’
‘We are free to build [places of worship] and to worship
freely’
‘We are free to establish our own faith schools and to give
our children – boys and girls alike – the best education
possible.’
Source: Counter-Extremism Strategy, p. 9
4. How ‘British values’ relating to religion came into
being: analysing the CES narrative
Counter-Extremism Strategy
‘Our values are not exclusive to
Britain...or imposed from above’
‘They have been shaped by our history.
Our acceptance of the freedom of
religious choice was born of religious
conflict, which taught us that the
alternative to tolerance is violence and
bloodshed.’
‘Our belief in equality followed a history
in which we have seen injustice, misery
and damage caused by discrimination
on the basis of religion, race, gender,
disability or sexual orientation’.
Criticism
Religious freedom started in Britain, and
came into being through the authority of
Parliament. ‘Not from above’ is a code for
‘we are not a theocracy’.
‘Religious violence’ in Britain’s history were
a response to state intolerance and lack of
religious freedom for non-Anglicans
These are all protected characteristics
under equality legislation brought in since
the 1970s. However, equality was
considered an important value in Britain
long before then
5. British reporting on the CES – the evidence
Topics covered
Hate Crimes
Alternative systems of law
Schools
Higher education
Illegal cultural practices (FGM, forced
marriage, honour-based violence)
Charities
Prisons
Broadcast media
Extremism Disruption Orders
English language
Topics not covered
Proposal that Local Government &
Communities Dept should help faith
communities establish ‘strong
governance’
‘Engaging internationally’ –
journalists have failed to discuss
international origins and dimensions
of the CES
6. Responses from religious bodies to the CES
Favourable responses
Ahmadiyya Muslim Association
British Muslims for a Secular
Democracy
Board of Deputies of British Jews
Campaign Against Anti-Semitism
Joint Public Issues Team (churches)
Hindu Council UK
Faith Matters
All Faiths Network
Critical responses
Barnabas Fund & main evangelical
protestant groups
Roman Catholic Church in England
and Wales
Muslim Council of Britain
Christian-Muslim Forum
Defend Free Speech Campaign
Individuals
Lord Singh (Network of Sikh
Organisations)
Geoffrey Alderman
8. Origins of the Counter-Extremism
Strategy: UK government view
The UK government says that the Counter-Extremism Strategy is rooted in the
Prevent [anti-terrrorism] Strategy, which was initiated by the last Labour
government after the London bombings of 2005
Prevent was part of the Labour government’s wider anti-terrorism strategy,
called CONTEST.
2011- Coalition government review of ‘Prevent’ announced that from then on,
counter-terrorism and community integration and cohesion would be
separate.
2013 - Extremism Taskforce set up after the murder of Lee Rigby, published
‘Tackling Extremism in the UK’, anticipating main CES themes
2014 – Theresa May speech at Conservative Party Conference
2015 - Conservative Party Election Manifesto
9. Academic origins
of term
‘extremism’
‘Extremism’ originated in American post-
WW2 social sciences
Only one sociologist, Charles S. Liebman,
included law within his definition: religious
extremism as the norm; religious
moderation needs to be explained
Laurence J. Iannaccone – definition linked
to Economics of Religion and spread of
religious freedom
Neil J. Kressler – ‘extremism in all its forms’:
focus on hatred and prejudice
Amos N. Guiora – use of questionnaire to
fellow academics to help formulate
definition
• ‘Extremism’ has no
single academic
definition
• Academics admit
that it is an arbitrary
and derogatory term
10. ‘Religious
extremism’ in UN
documents 1993 Resolution adopted by the UN
General Assembly on the Elimination of
All Forms of Religious Intolerance
Resolutions on "Combating Defamation
of Religions“ by the UN Commission on
Human Rights – 1999 onwards
Q. Does ‘religious
extremism’ mean the
same thing in these two
types of UN document,
or the opposite?
11. ‘Counter-
Extremism’ in
policy circles
Counter-extremism is obviously related
to ‘Countering Violent Extremism’
CVE originated as a phrase among
security experts under George W. Bush
The CVE programme was initiated early
under Barack Obama
There is a CVE information exchange
programme run by the European
Commission to tackle ‘extremism in all its
forms’ (like the CES)
All of these predate the CES
Counter-Extremism Project – US-
led non-profit organisation
focusing on ideologies feeding
terrrorism
www.counterextremism.com
Counter-Extremism Project –
European Commission-run
information exchange project
identifying ‘extremism in all its
forms’
www.counterextremism.org
12. ‘Religious
extremism’ in
legislation Russia under Vladimir Putin
Khazakstan
Kyrgyzstan
Uzbekistan
Georgia
China
Countries with legislation
against ‘religious extremism’
have a highly questionable
track record on religious
freedom for minorities as well
as freedom of speech
13. A ‘new Clarendon Code’ or enlightened approach to
the relationship between religious bodies and the
state?
‘New Clarendon Code’
CES requires state registration and
inspection of places of worship
Therefore the CES requires state
registration and inspection of
religious groups
Arguably the CES implicitly defines, or
works with an implicit definition of
what counts as ‘true religion’
‘Clarendon Code’ laws were aimed at
Puritan nonconformists, sometimes
stereotyped as ‘Turks’/’Muslims’ by
some Anglicans
‘Enlightened approach’
The CES could be compared to British
attempts to reform Islamic law in the
era of British rule in India
The CES list of ‘British values’ can be
compared to the approach towards
non-Anglican religious groups derived
from the philosophies of John Locke
and Edmund Burke during the English
Enlightenment
Both in Britain today and in British
India Muslims are a minority who are
not in power
14. Why has there been no
such analysis in the
British media of the
CES?
Is ‘religious illiteracy’ to blame?
Is historical ignorance to blame?
Or does knowledge of history make
journalists and other commentators
reluctant to think openly in these terms, for
fear of opening old wounds?
If so, is this because of the atmosphere
created by religious hatred law?
Are journalists and commentators so
fixated on religiously-motivated terrorism
that they dare not point out that
‘extremism’ is a subjective term that can be
changed by any government arbitrarily?
![The Counter-Extremism Strategy’s
definition of ‘extremism’
‘Extremism is the vocal or active opposition to
our fundamental values, including democracy,
the rule of law, individual liberty and the mutual
respect and tolerance of different faiths and
beliefs. We also regard calls for the death of
members of our armed forces as extremist.’
[CES, p. 9; Prevent Strategy, June 2011]](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7)