Removing children from ‘extremists’ could include Christians
by Tim Dieppe, Christian Concern:
A headline in The Times this week read: “Extremists should lose access to their children, says Scotland Yard chief.” The Times was reporting on a speech made by Mark Rowley, the UK’s top counterterrorism officer, at Policy Exchange this week. Mr Rowley is reported to have claimed that “exposing children to extremism was ‘equally wicked’ as exposing them to sexual abuse.” In the speech he argued: “I wonder if we need more parity between protecting children from paedophile and terrorist parents.” He said that around 100 children have been removed from their parents since the start of conflicts in Syria and Iraq, but he clearly expressed that he thought more children should be safeguarded by the state.
What is extremism?
Clearly the focus of Mark Rowley’s attention is terrorism. Both far-right and Islamist terrorist attacks are discussed in the speech. However, this is not his only concern. He complains in the article of “cases where parents convicted of terrorist-related offences, including radicalisers, retain care of their own children.” The phrase “including radicalisers” is very concerning. Tommy Robinson is named alongside Anjem Choudary as an example. Anjem Choudary has been convicted of supporting a terrorist organisation and is now in prison. Whilst Tommy Robinson may have said and done some things that I would not support, I am not aware that he has ever advocated terrorism or joining a terrorist organisation. Should he really have his children removed from him?
Mr Rowley added that there had been times when Britain was “tolerant of intolerance”. This is another alarming phrase. Just what is meant by ‘intolerance’? Does it include the freedom to criticise another person’s religion, worldview, or lifestyle? Mr Rowley is clearly advocating removing children, not just from those convicted of terrorism, but from ‘radicalisers’ and perhaps others deemed ‘intolerant’.
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