“I Am a Muslim Not an Extremist”: How the Prevent Strategy Has Constructed a “Suspect” Community

Counterterrorism, Extremism, State Multiculturalism, Multiculturalism in the UK, Failure of Multiculturalism, Community Policing, Radicalization, Muslim Communities,

This article aims to provide a background and framework to better understand the political adoption and practical functioning of the Prevent Strategy 2011 in the United Kingdom. It examines how the Prevent Strategy 2011 is currently being used by police forces, schools, and British universities, while also looking at the overall effectiveness and impact upon British Muslim communities. This research also assesses the argument, advanced by several critics, that the strategy could risk labeling the Muslim community as a “suspect” community (Githens-Mazer 2011; Hickman et al. 2011).