The government is drawing up plans to limit the influence of Sharia courts and ban radical Islamists from working unsupervised with children, according to reports yesterday.
Other proposed measures include forcing job centre staff to identify vulnerable benefit claimants who may be at heightened risk of radicalisation, according to a draft of the Home Office’s counter-terrorism strategy leaked to The Sunday Telegraph.
Penalties may be introduced for welfare claimants who fail to learn English, because of fears that individuals who do not integrate into British society could become targets for radicalisation. Stricter regulations will force new residents to embrace “British values” to become eligible to gain British citizenship.
It is understood that the draft Home Office proposals, with a foreword by Theresa May, have the support of the Lib Dems as well as the Tories.
The tough measures have been proposed after the revelation that Mohammed Emwazi, known as “Jihadi John”, the chief executioner of Islamic State, is a 26-year-old Londoner who was radicalised in Britain.
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The document is understood to state: “In the past, there has been a risk that the government sends an ambivalent and dangerous message — that it doesn’t really matter if you don’t believe in democracy. We need to stand up and be more assertive in promoting our values and challenging the extremists who fundamentally oppose them.
“This will include explaining our foreign policy [and] promoting mainstream voices supporting the quiet majority in all communities who oppose extremism.”
The plans are set to be announced officially before the general election and there was speculation that they could be implemented immediately. They represent a desire to go beyond tracking down and stopping terrorists to deal with the root cause of radicalisation by tackling radical preachers.
Nicky Morgan, the education secretary, expressed apprehension yesterday about extremists visiting schools. She said that she was “not going to comment on what is a leaked document”, but raised concern “about what might be taught in some of our schools”.
Ms Morgan confirmed that, in principle, she considered Islamic extremists unsuitable to be working in schools. “I think that is absolutely right, and I think that we have seen concerns about the speakers that schools have invited in,” she said.