Historical statement · published 18 November 2016. References and circumstances reflect the time of publication.
Following the introduction of the Prevent Duty and the Counter Extremism Strategy of October 2015, the Muslim community in Luton, through its main representatives, the Luton Council of Mosques (LCM), the Sunni Council of Mosques (SCM) and the Luton Shia Community alongside other community organisations, approached Luton Borough Council (LBC) to discuss the multitude of concerns which had been brought to us by the community. In the sincere spirit of partnership and dialogue, we have spent the last year in discussions with Council representatives in order to try and gain some clarity and transparency on the implementation of the Prevent strategy in Luton in order to try and allay some of these concerns. Sadly, this information has not been forthcoming and we have not been able to achieve this aim.
Therefore, after much discussion and consultation within our community and with partner organisations, we have written to Luton Borough Council to formally state that we are unable to lend our support to the Prevent Strategy. The letter (which can be found here: www.prevent- position.wordpress.com) articulates our concerns in detail. We urge our local authority, elected representatives to call for an urgent independent review of the Prevent strategy in its entirety.
Our institutions remain absolutely committed to promoting a lawful, peaceful, harmonious society where all members of the community feel safe and protected.