Report by Ian Acheson, Former Prison Governor and Reviewer of Islamist Extremism in Prisons, Makes the Case.

This report – “Faith, Hope and Clarity”, commissioned by Faith Matters, and published today makes the case that Muslim communities, working in a unique new partnership with statutory services, can reduce risk of released extremist prisoners re-offending through a community re-integration programme called the ‘Sunnah’ concept.

This concept empowers a core of carefully selected community based supporters who provide a ‘virtuous circle’ around the offender. These core supporters carry out a number of functions. They can challenge Islamist ideology, ensure behaviour is appropriate, monitor risk and provide practical help. In this way the community is given formal responsibility for helping resettle offenders with more prospects for them abandoning toxic behaviours and beliefs than the state creates on its own.

Acheson is a former prison governor with a long track record of work in the extremism field. He was responsible for the ‘landmark’ 2016 independent review of the threat posed by Islamist extremism in the criminal justice system and is the architect of the separation units for highly subversive extremist offenders. He writes extensively for the media continues to advise government nationally and internationally on combatting violent extremism.

The report highlights:

1. That terrorism trials and convictions are rising,
2. That the offender profile is changing as the police and security services get better at detecting and disrupting plots at an early stage
3. Better detection and disruption can mean shorter prison sentences or in a rising number of cases, community penalties.
4. Our national security depends on the state but the state alone can’t keep us safe from future harm. We need to look imaginatively at other models including greater use of communities to resettle ex-extremist offenders successfully.
5. We need to mobilise communities to help people convicted of extremism stop being a threat to us and change their hateful beliefs for good.
6. The vast majority of those convicted of extremism offences are Muslims inspired by Islamist extremism. The faith communities they return to after custody have a potentially huge role to play in partnership with the state to keep us safe.   
7. The ‘Sunnah’ concept is a radical way to apply tried and tested thinking on sex offender management in the community to extremist prisoners.

Speaking on the launch of the report, Ian Acheson said:

‘Considerable numbers of terrorist offenders are now on the criminal justice conveyor belt. Most of them will return to their communities and increasing numbers are being given short sentences or community penalties. Many of these offenders will face unique and specific difficulties reintegrating with the communities they have come from and harmed. It’s not clear to me that the state should carry the burden of managing this risk or even if it can get ideologically extreme behaviour and beliefs changed on its own.  

I’ve argued that a partnership of community and statutory authorities is the best approach to reintegrating terrorist offenders and keeping all of us safe in the long term. It requires imagination and courage to take this approach but if the prize is safer communities who have a stake in protecting our national security, it’s worth exploring seriously. This is what I hope Government will do”.

Notes

1. Download the report HERE.
2. 695 people in this country have been convicted after facing terrorism charges since September 11th 2001.
3. As of September 2017 (the latest available statistics), 213 are currently in custody.
4. The remaining 482 will have served their sentences and are in the community.
5. 20 terrorist related offenders were released from custody between Jan 15 and September 17..
6. Non-custodial sentences for terrorist related offences is climbing steadily – it’s now 9% of all terrorist sentences – underpinning the need for community-based solutions.

Faith Matters was commissioned by the Department of Communities and Local Government to undertake a review of chaplaincy services within Muslim communities in the United Kingdom. Faith Matters undertook a detailed review of organisations, chaplaincy training providers and Muslim theological institutions in order to find out about the developing profession of chaplaincy for Muslim communities. The detailed findings of a year long work can be found through this report and it outlines the development of pastoral services within different sectors:

DCLG commissioned Faith Matters to promote and show good practice within different sectors who were employing Muslim chaplains. A generic guideline on standards for the recruitment of Muslim chaplains was produced for those sectors and institutions who may require such a resource.

The guidelines could not be more prescient than it is now. Chaplaincy development with Muslim chaplains is developing and guidelines on good practice can only support chaplaincy development. Some sectors in the UK are well developed in the provision of Muslim chaplaincy whilst others are not so well developed and the guidelines would also promote existing best practice.

Link to Chaplains Report

This is a report that outlines the views of Muslim chaplains, sector leaders and Muslim communities as well as other faith communities on faith leadership. This work was undertaken over a 7 month period and took in a number of key organisations that work with Muslim and other faith communities. This is a unique report that looks at the provision of chaplaincy and pastoral care services within the following sectors: The NHS, Higher and Further Education sectors and the Prison Service.

The report also outlines the growing chaplaincy and pastoral skills base that is growing within Muslim communities and this is a mechanism through which all faiths can support people when they are going through traumatic or turbulent periods in their lives.

Support for chaplains working in universities, colleges, hospitals and prisons, is to be improved under new guidelines launched today.

The guidance The Role of Chaplains Working in Public Sector Institutions: Experiences from Muslim Communities, is funded by the Department of Communities and Local Government and written by Faith Matters. It draws on best practice of Muslim chaplains and their communities.

By setting out core standard skills, knowledge and training, the guidelines aim to support chaplains in caring for and protecting vulnerable people. These include students, prisoners or patients, who away from their homes and communities or experiencing sickness and bereavement, may be susceptible targets for extremists.
In recent years, public institutions and faith communities have done much work to formalise, professionalise and support the work of state chaplains. As a result, some institutions have rigorous structures in place, but many others are in need of further development.

To illustrate how the skills, knowledge and ability criteria, laid out in these guidelines can be involved in public institutions, the guidance uses a range of different case studies across hospitals, universities and colleges. One example of is of a hospital chaplain who combined his counselling skills and theological knowledge to reassure a mother giving birth that being seen by a male doctor is acceptable within the laws of Islam when life is in danger.
As the role of chaplain varies across institutions, this document sets out eight core competencies related to the spiritual, pastoral and emotional support role of chaplains. It also provides a ‘checklist’ that employers might wish to use to assess their recruitment processes and assess the suitability of candidates.

Speaking at the today’s launch, the author of the report Faith Matters director Fiyaz Mughal, said:
“This guidance is aimed at giving employers, the public and chaplains themselves, more confidence in the role of chaplaincy to make it pivotal to the way institutions work compassionately, fairly and safely.

“By providing better support to chaplains and their employers, through these guidelines, we can stop extremists preying in places, such as prisons, hospitals and universities. Here, many people are susceptible to extremism messages as they can frequently feel vulnerable, alone and confused.”
Welcoming the guidance, Communities Minister Shahid Malik said:
“Anyone working with vulnerable individuals is placed in a position of responsibility and trust. Employers, the public and chaplains themselves need to have the confidence that this work is being carried out effectively.

“The guidance is about supporting that by highlighting existing best practice and identifying potential skills gaps and training needs footing.

“Recent events have led to questions about the influences at work in some of our institutions. We know that chaplains are not the problem when it comes to tackling extremism but they can be part of solution. By offering the support, advice and theological guidance to individuals who may be attracted to a distorted view of religion or society they have an important role to play in ensuring that extremists do not gain any traction in our public institutions.”

Ends/

Notes to editors:

Click below for a copy of the report:

The role of chaplains in public sector institutions: Experiences from the Muslim sector

For further information or to arrange an interview with the organisation’s founder and director, Fiyaz Mughal OBE, please contact Holly Sutton This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or contact on: 07966280542

Notes
1)   This guide will be launched at the University of Westminster on 22 March – please e-mail: holly@journalista.co.uk if you wish to attend.

2.)   The guidance outlines a recruitment process that is:

• tailored to the needs of the institution and users
• open and transparent
• involves faith organisations and professional chaplaincy associations
• and details competencies that may be relevant to the chaplaincy role including:
• an ability to speak English to an appropriate level;
• a good understanding of the values and ways of working of British institutions;
• communication skills that enable difficult issues to be dealt with;
• a commitment to respecting the rights and beliefs of others and to working as part of a multi-faith team
• a respect for shared values of freedom of speech, respect for the rule of law equality of opportunity
• the ability to provide theological guidance to those who may be vulnerable to messages of violent extremism
• a commitment to supporting individuals who may be targeted by violent extremists.

3.)   Guidance on the recruitment and employment of Muslim chaplains currently   consists of existing HR practices and procedures within institutions and sectors.

4.)   This report forms a voluntary set of guidelines which will be distributed to institutions and to those who express an interest.
Interviews are available with:

• Fiyaz Mughal – author of the report. The director of Faith Matters, which works on interfaith, community cohesion and Prevent project
• Aaliyah Shaikh – female Muslim chaplain at St Mary’s Hospital, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust
• Asghar Halim Rajput – male Muslim chaplain at Brunel University and director of Muslim Chaplains in Education
• Yusuf Kaplan – interfaith advisor and Muslim chaplain at Westminster University
• Yunus Dudhwala – head of Chaplaincy and Bereavement Services and Muslim chaplain at Newham University Hospital NHS Trust

DCLG commissioned Faith Matters to promote and show good practice within different professional sectors that were employing Muslim chaplains. A generic guideline on standards for the recruitment of Muslim chaplains was produced for those sectors and institutions which may require such a resource.

The guidelines could not be more prescient than it is now. Chaplaincy development with Muslim chaplains is developing and guidelines on good practice can only support chaplaincy development. Some sectors in the UK are well developed in the provision of Muslim chaplaincy whilst others are not so well developed and the guidelines, it is hoped, will also promote existing best practice.

It should also be noted that chaplains are key workers in institutions like schools, further education colleges, prisons, hospitals and in the courts service. They are a resource and first point of contact for many vulnerable people and are therefore essential individuals providing pastoral care to such people.

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