Bid to stop terror groups brainwashing young Scots Muslims

A COUNTER-radicalisation plan is being developed in Scotland to prevent young Muslims being "brainwashed" by al-Qaeda terrorists, The Scotsman can reveal.

The strategy, which has the backing of police and the Scottish Government, will see parents of young Muslims encouraged to exercise greater control over their children's use of the internet, which is regarded as a major "weak spot" in Britain's efforts to combat terrorism.

Developed in response to the growing number of UK nationals found to be involved in terrorism, the plan will seek to win the "hearts and minds" of Muslim families whose help is seen as crucial in preventing youngsters being recruited into the terror network.

It is understood measures used to protect children from paedophiles on the internet will be proposed to prevent young Muslims being incited to develop an unhealthy support for al-Qaeda via chatrooms and websites.

These will include installing home computers with special firewalls allowing parents to block access to websites containing terrorist material, such as images of beheadings or bomb-making manuals, and teaching parents what to look out for.

Youth projects will also be run to encourage civic pride among young people, some of whom may be vulnerable to al-Qaeda's violent anti-western doctrine.

Meanwhile, police will receive cultural and religious lessons to ensure anti-terror investigations are handled more sensitively.

The move comes amid growing concerns among community leaders and senior police officers that innocent Muslims are being singled out as potential terrorists, creating an atmosphere of distrust which threatens to become a breeding ground for would-be suicide bombers.

The strategy is being developed in Scotland as part of a UK government counter-terrorism plan known as CONTEST.

It has been given greater urgency since last year's Glasgow airport attack and the jailing of Mohammed Atif Siddique, a student from Clackmannanshire convicted of disseminating terrorist materials on internet who was described in court as a "wannabe suicide bomber".

Allan Burnett, head of counter-terrorism for the police in Scotland, is co-ordinating the strategy. He told The Scotsman that closer links between officers and Muslims must be forged to encourage families who have concerns about their children to come forward. And he said youngsters were "vulnerable" to corruption from viewing violent terrorist images on computers and mobile phones.

Mr Burnett said: "If a parent is worried a vulnerable young person is being unduly influenced, we have to give them some way to flag that up at an early stage so we can take that youngster away from that. These young people are at risk of being brainwashed by murderers. We have to discourage that."

Mr Burnett revealed he would discuss with Muslim groups ways to create "alternatives" for disaffected young people who may be more likely to be attracted to al-Qaeda.

These include the new Scottish Islamic Foundation, which has already run several residential courses for young Muslims.

Osama Saeed, the foundation's organiser, said courses were not specifically geared toward preventing terrorism, but rather to spread the message among those who may be angry about the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan "that being a good Muslim goes hand in hand with being a good citizen".

He added: "We want to encourage people to take a greater role in society, for example getting engaged with the media.

"When people talk about deradicalisation, the last thing you want to do is jump up and down saying you're against terrorism. You have to deliver a more positive message."

'Don't help recruit the terrorists'

JUDGES who jail young Muslims for downloading terrorist material on the internet risk becoming "recruiting sergeants" for al-Qaeda, a top police officer has warned.

Allan Burnett, the co-ordinator of counter-terrorism for the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland (Acpos), said excessive jail terms imposed in some cases "at the lower end of the spectrum" are threatening to alienate ordinary Muslims.

Mr Burnett said community sentences were more appropriate than prison for certain web-based offences, particularly when the families of young people downloading videos of beheadings and other violent material are willing to help stop the offender becoming more deeply involved in terrorism.

Mr Burnett's criticism was triggered by the case of Mohammed Irfan Raja jailed for two years for "possessing articles useful for terrorism".

Mr Burnett said: "The parents were concerned and phoned the police. The next thing the young guy gets a prison sentence. That is not a good message. There has to be an alternative when the community, and the parents, are coming forward to help."