THOUGH the headlines change daily, in the aftermath of last month’s attacks one question remains constant: how can we prevent the atrocities reccurring? Currently, the spotlight falls on young British Muslims, but what are the subjects of this latest moral panic thinking themselves? Silver-bullet solutions are tempting but obscure the complexity of the issue. We only need to look at current affairs programmes on the Islam Channel or browse web forums, such as www.mpacuk.org, to sample the passionate diversity of opinion.

Debates rage between conspiracy theorists who deny Muslims carried out the atrocities, to those who blame them on the failure of mosques and biased media coverage. Some focus on overseas military intervention, others bemoan deviant theology. This cross-section of perspectives belies the image of those who seek to portray British Muslims as a homogenous unit.

Talk to young Muslims and they will tell you that they worry about the future. Fear and frustration are the dominant emotions. Every day they risk being targeted in a religious hate crime or being stopped and searched. The shooting of an innocent man has only hardened attitudes against an institution which commanded little confidence in the first place. We should not forget that inflamed passions, racist provocation and heavy-handed policing helped to trigger riots in the recent past.

It is a tragedy that it has taken these awful events for people to look for ways to connect with young Muslims. There are no quick fixes for deep-rooted social deficits, but a grassroots consensus is emerging. Emotional slogan-eering is starting to be replaced by a holistic, integrated analysis. Three areas have been identified; the first internal, the other two governmental.

Beginning to engage in the realities of British Muslim life requires honesty, which would force the recognition by Muslims of the evolution of religious extremism propelled by grievance politics. Radicalism has gained appeal over the past 10 years through disintegrating conditions in many Muslim countries and the opportunism of misguided preachers. This has polarised and reinforced sectarian divides for those Muslims rediscovering their faith. A large part of this could be addressed through dialogue. Different Islamic organisations need to start talking to each other instead of about each other.

The second is for the government to address the multiple disadvantages of poverty, poor housing, educational underachievement and unemployment restricting the life chances of most Muslim communities. Finally, foreign policy is seen by most young Muslims as the important factor being evaded. Counter-terrorism measures may in the short term provide better security and put criminals behind bars, but isn’t prevention better than cure? The people involved in terrorist activities came from deprived as well as affluent, educated, backgrounds. What they have in common is impatience towards those who preach democracy, freedom of speech and human rights but undermine its growth in nations essential to British interests.

Is all this special pleading? Not if we are serious about building an inclusive society, which eliminates the sources of inter-cultural tension. Not if we are serious about empowering those who are doubly disadvantaged on top of the social challenges faced by all people growing up in Britain today. —Dawn/The Guardian News Service