A senior priest has raised questions over the extent to which educational institutions in Wales are using Government guidelines to tackle radicalisation of students, after two students who attended a Catholic sixth form college went to Syria to join the terrorist group Isis.
Two of the three British men in the jihadi recruitment video posted by Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isis) had attended the same Catholic college in Cardiff.
Nasser Muthana and Reyaad Khan, both 20, are seen in the 13-minute Isis video calling on other British Muslims to join the fighting in Syria and Iraq.
They both attended St David’s Catholic Sixth Form College, Cardiff. A third British man in the video is from Aberdeen.
According to The Times, Muthana and Khan also attended the Al-Manar Centre in Cardiff, aligned to the ultra-conservative Salafi wing of Islam whose followers include the terrorist Abu Hamza and terror suspect Abu Qatada.
St David's is the only Catholic sixth form college in Wales. The college operates on the principles of "tolerance and respect" for those of other faiths and none, although admissions priority is given to students from three Catholic secondary schools in Cardiff and a fourth in the Vale of Glamorgan. Neither of the two ex-students had attended one of the Catholic secondary schools.
Of the 1,550 full-time students aged 16-19 at St David's, 56 per cent are Catholics, 30 per cent from other faiths and the remainder do not declare a faith. About 22 per cent of students are from minority ethnic groups.
Fr Gareth Jones, Catholic chaplain and Co-ordinating chaplain at Cardiff University, who has close links with Muslim community leaders, raised questions about the extent to which educational institutions had implemented Government guidelines to combat radicalisation.
He referred specifically to "Learning Together To Be Safe", a 2009 toolkit published by the UK education department to supplement guidance in 2008 on preventing violent extremism that emphasised the importance of working with children and young people. The Welsh government said it also had guidelines on the issue.
Fr Jones said one of the difficulties with Cardiff was the large diversity of mosques and ethnic communities. "Even among Islamic communities here there are great differences between them. People often think of Islam as being monolithic, when there are many varieties along cultural, ethnic and national lines." He said Cardiff's Muslim community will be "as shocked as anyone" at the latest evidence of radicalisation. "Cardiff does seem to have attracted preachers who certainly are not building up the common good, preachers who seem to be belligerent or encouraging men to go off and fight wars in foreign parts."
There has been no suggestion the young men were radicalised at the college, which did not respond to requests for comment on its strategy on the issue of radicalisation.
According to an academic at Cardiff University's School of Social Sciences, Dr Suraj Lakhani, who recently completed a doctorate entitled "A Social Analysis of Radicalisation in the UK", the city has a continuing problem with the radicalisation of young Muslims.
Mark Leighfield, Principal of St David's, said: "Two young men who appeared in an internet recruitment video for Jihadists have been identified as having attended St David’s Catholic College, Cardiff. One left the college in July 2011 and one left the college in July 2012. They were not in the same teaching or pastoral care groups. The college does not wish to comment further at this time."
The Catholic Education Service said: "Catholic schools welcome those from other faiths and none, as places of respect and tolerance. As an integrated part of their local community, Catholic schools foster cohesion between minority groups and provide a safe space for pupils to learn about faith and experience in a broad and balanced curriculum. Local dioceses are best placed to understand the complexities of their local community and how best their schools can serve them."
Loading ...
