Islamist extremism is a rising problem in our society, especially within the Muslim community in the UK. There is much lack of knowledge and education about the definition of ‘terrorism’ in mosques. Neither Muslim Imams nor Muslim students know enough about terrorism and how to counter and eliminate it.
The role of Imam is a very unique and influential within the Muslim community in the UK. Imams are the main pillars of not only the Muslim community but also our society as a whole and serve as a bridge between the community and mosques. Therefore, it is very essential to educate them about the menace of terrorism, its root causes, how to counter it, and so on.
ITCT, due to its unique profile, is the only organisation in the UK that is fully equipped to offer an Imam training program in the UK. As part of this training, our team provides education on terrorism tactics and the importance of UK’s country’s counter terrorism efforts to eliminate the threat of extremism.
When Imams are better trained and equipped with educational tools, they would better present the Prevent model to their Madrasah students. Imams have a more influential role over Muslim students than even their parents. Madrasah students are more obliged and responsive to their Imams than their parents in the UK. So, in this case, Imams can play a very important role in regards to educating their students, and more generally the Muslim community, by providing the right information about extremism, terrorism, how to counter it, and so on.
