Gross over-referral of Muslims reflects Islamophobic prejudice, not true risk

Evidence

The explanation put forward to justify this wide disparity8 which was apparent before the Prevent duty came into force, was that ‘terrorists who claim to act in the name of Islam’, who pose the ‘greatest threat to the UK, ‘specifically target Muslims’ and therefore the ‘support offered through Channel’ is predominately provided to Muslim communities. However, as 80% of Channel referrals are not taken as far as the ‘de-radicalization’ or ‘support’ stage, the consistent gross over-referral of Muslims, especially Muslim children and young people, strongly reflects Islamophobic prejudice and stereotyping going well beyond an accurate assessment of the risks of extremism. — Runnymede Trust (ed. Farah Elahi & Omar Khan), Islamophobia, 419

Categorization

• XREF: This is the report’s argumentative hinge: rebutting the government’s risk-based justification by showing referral volume vastly exceeds cases reaching the support stage — a causal inference that Bleich’s neutral concept-formation would interrogate. — connects to: Most Prevent ‘suspicious’ referrals are lawfully behaving Muslim children who are traumatized. — A. Hussain, N. Meer, Framing Muslim Integration, 418; Muslim children were 44 times more likely than others to be referred to Channel — Runnymede Trust (ed. Farah Elahi & Omar Khan), Islamophobia: Still a Challenge for Us…, 418; Prevent-era Channel referrals of children rose sharply and heavily targeted Muslims — Runnymede Trust (ed. Farah Elahi & Omar Khan), Islamophobia: Still a Challenge for Us…, 417 (+3 more)

Broader Connections

• Suspicion of Muslims is based on association rather than evidence #corroborates (0.88)
• Islamophobia need not rest on false claims, so debunking accuracy misses the point #complicates (0.80) — Chris Allen, Islamophobia, 905