A British government anti-terror working group concluded that the Iraq war is “undeniably a factor” in fanning extremism, and proposed forming a media unit to challenge the stereotyped media portrayal of Muslims, reported a leading British daily Friday, September 16. “British foreign policy in the world cannot be left unconsidered as a factor in the motivations of extremists,” the group said in a confidential report leaked to The Independent.
The Working Together to Prevent Extremism: Tackling Extremism and Radicalization report was drawn up after meetings between leading Muslims and government officials, said the daily. The 13-member taskforce, chosen by the Home Office, includes prominent Muslim figures such as famed Swiss scholar Tariq Ramadan, Inayat Bunglawala, the media officer of the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) and MP Shahid Malik.