Author archives: Faith Matters

Security minister calls for social media companies to tackle radicalisation
November 26, 2020 By Faith Matters

Security minister calls for social media companies to tackle radicalisation

Social media companies such as Facebook must help tackle online radicalisation to combat the threat of far-right terrorism, a Home Office minister has said. Security Minister James Brokenshire said the Government should work with tech firms to slow the spread of misinformation online with the upcoming Online Harms legislation aiming to put a duty of […]

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Islamist extremism referrals up for first time since 2016
November 26, 2020 By Faith Matters

Islamist extremism referrals up for first time since 2016

The number of people flagged up to authorities for concerns over extremism rose 10% last year, with the first increase in Islamist radicalisation referrals since 2016, figures show. There were a total of 6,287 referrals to the Government’s Prevent programme between April 2019 and March 2020 – up 10% from a record low of 5,737 […]

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Extremist jailed for Islamist-related terror offences
November 23, 2020 By Faith Matters

Extremist jailed for Islamist-related terror offences

An extremist who opted to listen to “notorious terrorist loudmouths” and downloaded instructions on how to carry out attacks has been jailed for 32 months for a series of Islamist-related terror offences. Zakaria Yanaouri, 21, of Worthing, West Sussex, had pleaded guilty to five counts of possessing material likely to be of use to a […]

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Extremist jailed for making video inciting terror attack on Royal Festival Hall
November 21, 2020 By Faith Matters

Extremist jailed for making video inciting terror attack on Royal Festival Hall

A former carpet fitter who made a video inciting a terror attack on London’s Royal Festival Hall and posted it to an extremist WhatsApp group has been jailed for eight-and-a-half years. Shehroz Iqbal, 29, posted the mobile phone footage to a group of like-minded friends on March 11 this year with the words “Attack, attack”. […]

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New Zealand police officer becomes first in force to wear hijab in uniform
November 19, 2020 By Faith Matters

New Zealand police officer becomes first in force to wear hijab in uniform

The New Zealand Police force has incorporated a hijab into its official uniform, with the first officer to wear it reporting that it “feels great”. Constable Zeena Ali had the opportunity to trial several versions of the hijab before she began her police training, with the item now an official elective item of uniform. The […]

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Younger teenagers being drawn in by right-wing extremism
November 18, 2020 By Faith Matters

Younger teenagers being drawn in by right-wing extremism

Ten out of the 12 under-18s who were arrested for terrorism last year were linked to extreme right-wing beliefs, police figures show. The proportion is high compared to data for all age groups, which shows that 20% of terrorism arrests in the year to June 30 2020 were linked to the ideology. Head of UK […]

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Man denies sending tweet linking Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf to terrorism
November 17, 2020 By Faith Matters

Man denies sending tweet linking Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf to terrorism

A man has told a court he did not send a tweet that suggested Scotland’s Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf sympathised with terrorists. The tweet appeared on the feed of Mr Yousaf, who was then minister for external affairs, on November 14 2015, the day after the Paris terror attacks. The message came from the Twitter […]

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Trump to order troop reductions in Afghanistan and Iraq
November 16, 2020 By Faith Matters

Trump to order troop reductions in Afghanistan and Iraq

The Trump administration is expected to cut the number of US troops in Afghanistan almost in half to 2,500 by January 15, an official has said. The order would stop short of outgoing President Donald Trump’s goal to have all troops withdrawn by the end of the year, which had faced opposition from military and […]

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Rise in home working could lead to increase in prejudice, researchers warn
November 16, 2020 By Faith Matters

Rise in home working could lead to increase in prejudice, researchers warn

Increased home working and fewer opportunities to socialise during the coronavirus pandemic is threatening to make society less tolerant of diversity, a report warns. Reduced access to workplaces, leisure centres and other communal facilities is likely to make it much harder to form friendships that break down prejudices, the Woolf Institute said. Without alternative opportunities […]

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US and Israel worked to track and kill al Qaida’s second in command
November 15, 2020 By Faith Matters

US and Israel worked to track and kill al Qaida’s second in command

A senior al Qaida operative was killed in Iran earlier this year by Israeli agents supported by US intelligence. Abu Mohammed al-Masri was killed by assassins in Tehran during a period in which the Trump administration was ramping up pressure on Iran. He was killed on August 7, the anniversary of the 1998 bombings of […]

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