# Should Muslims engage with the Prevent programme? *Prevent has become toxic: why he no longer advises Muslims to engage with it* - URL: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/vzrrlx3livk/s/3/ - Date: 2015-04-06 · Kind: question · Transcript tier: machine · Recording: Unanswered Questions- An interview with Mufti Abu Layth (5:23–8:00) - Status: general teaching - Watch from the start of the segment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZRrlX3lIVk&t=323s - Recording page: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/vzrrlx3livk/ **Topics:** Extremism, crime and justice; Britain **Question as asked:** What was your involvement with the Prevent programme, and do you encourage Muslims to engage in it? **Summary (not a quotation; machine-made, unchecked):** No, not at this stage: he says Prevent began with good objectives but has become toxic and lost its purpose, as a former Met Chief Superintendent said, so engagement is now counterproductive. Tackling radicalisation itself remains a duty of Muslims. **Checked position (checked by two independent reviews, not by the channel):** Mufti Abu Layth says Prevent began with good objectives but has become toxic and lost its purpose, so he would no longer advise Muslims to engage with it, while tackling radicalisation remains a duty of Muslims and especially of the learned. **Evidence, his words at 7:08:** “based on that I wouldn't at this stage having now known what I do know advise engagement with it because I see it as counterproductive” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZRrlX3lIVk&t=428s) ## Longer summary Asked whether he was involved in the Prevent programme, in what capacity, and whether Muslims should engage with it, Mufti Abu Layth says he has not been involved for over two years. He says he is not an expert on the strategy but believes it began several years ago with good objectives, engaging local communities in tackling radicalisation, which he calls an active duty of all Muslims and especially of the learned. He agrees with a Muslim former Chief Superintendent of the Metropolitan Police, Dal Babu [?], who recently criticised Prevent as having become toxic and lost its purpose: it is viewed with suspicion, local communities no longer wish to engage with it, and so, knowing what he now knows, he would not advise engagement with it at this stage, seeing it as counterproductive. He adds that his own experiences along the way were rather strange. ## Sources and names cited - Prevent (UK counter-radicalisation programme) - Dal Babu, former Chief Superintendent, Metropolitan Police [?] - Metropolitan Police ## Transcript (machine tier, 5:23–8:00) [5:13] them you talk to them you understand how the struggles of others um it really I I find found that incredibly insightful so you know alh Allah be praised I this is an interesting question uh that what was my some people had been asking what was my uh did I was I involved in the prevent program and if so in what capacity people had been asking and what is my general advice to people who do we feel in my opinion to that we should be engaging or [5:51] disengaging I mean I haven't been involved with prevent for at least a couple of years now I haven't done I mean it's it's been at least over two years now that I've not been involved with them however I feel I mean I'm not an expert on the prevent strategy but I feel that this was a program an initiative that had began several years back with some I believe that the objectives were actually um were actually good initially they were to [6:28] engage um the Muslim or the local communities in tackling radicalization so from that perspective I'd like to say that first of all as far as tackling radicalization and this is something I'd like to come back to at a later point is is a is an active duty of all uh Muslims especially learned people who are involved in teaching and educating and things like that so that is where it is as far as prevent is concerned I do agree with recently there was a Muslim Chief super intendant from the Met police who um had been quite um outspoken really about prevent and he he [7:08] criticizes it of um becoming having become toxic and uh having really lost its purpose I do actually agree with uh um with Dal this former Chief superintendent uh that prevent has become along the way toxic I um it is generally viewed with suspicion by Muslims the local communities no longer wish to engage with it and therefore it's lost its purpose based on that I wouldn't at this stage having now known what I do know advise engagement with it [7:47] because I see it as counterproductive um so I wouldn't advise people to engage with it my own experiences as well have been along the way rather strange uh initially I mean contrary to what many people may or may not know when when prent was introduced into local communities many most major murgi were engaged with prent um and they contined to do for continue to do so for at least a couple of years um in the imams were contacted major imams to act as mentors so I was also contacted and asked that would you be a mentor to ## Cite Mufti Abu Layth Archive, segment VZRrlX3lIVk/s/3. https://muftiabulayth.org/r/vzrrlx3livk/s/3/ Not a fatwa: these answers were given to specific people at specific times. Ask a qualified scholar about your own situation.