We owe a big "thank you" to Chief Inspector of Prisons Anne Owens for clarifying why so many muslims convicted of crimes and doing time in UK jails are becoming radicalized. These poor muslim criminals are misunderstood by prison officials and subjected to such "victimizing" comments as one prison officer referring to a muslim prayer mat as a "magic carpet" - Ali Baba must be aghast! Such horrific remarks, says Ms Owen, could alienate muslim criminals and force them into the comforting arms of radical Islamist inmates. Apparently CI of P Owens forgets that many of these prisoners were radical Islamists prior to taking up residence in prison.
After castigating the prison workers at London's Belmarsh jail, home to nearly 200 Muslim prisoners, including Abu Hamza, Abu Qatada and other high-profile terrorist convicts, for being insensitive to muslim prisoner's needs - she then goes on to warn them to not supervise muslims inmates TOO much because that also may alienate them and force them down that now well trodden path to radicalization. Oddly enough her original premise was that muslims are being radicalized right under the insensitive and inexperienced noses of prison guards and officials. So which one is it? - too much or not enough supervision?
CONFUSED? Clearly so is Chief Inspector Owens. Her suggestion of more training is noted and one hopes that she attends. Her comment of inexperience of jail personnel is likely less the problem then the same personnel's political savvy. The policies of the UK Labour government have for approximately one decade dictated a backbending pandering to all muslims - including those who spoke against the British people and for terror. Muslims in Britian have come to expect kid glove treatment and let out howls of Islamophobia when they are not accomodated to the fullest. There is no reason to expect this is not the same mindset with British jail supervisors or wardens. Undoubtedly this trickles down the line and jail personnel know the political tenor regarding muslims and are unsure as to how they can do their jobs without being castigated by higher-ups and vote seeking politicians as "racists" or Islamophobics ---especially if the officers indeed obstruct muslim in any way (including radicalization) inside their jail. Ms.Owens overt fence sitting is further proof why jail staff are reluctant to deal with muslim prisoners & their radicalization - she is setting them up as scapegoats --with political finesse.
Radical Muslims 'exploit jail staff to convert prisoners'
Extremist Muslim inmates are radicalising other prisoners at London's Belmarsh jail by exploiting staff inexperience, a government watchdog warned today.
In a report, Chief Inspector of Prisons Anne Owers said that some terror detainees "committed to a radical interpretation of Islam" are trying to pressure other prisoners to convert.
Under fire: Convicted terrorist Abu Qatada is an inmate at Belmarsh where prison officers are 'insufficiently trained' to tackle radicalisation
But she warned prison officers at the high-security jail were "insufficiently trained and supported" to combat the threat properly.
The findings will fuel concerns about the danger of radicalisation inside prisons as a growing number of terrorists are convicted and jailed.
In today's report, Ms Owers said Belmarsh, which holds nearly 200 Muslim prisoners, including Abu Hamza, Abu Qatada and other high-profile terror convicts, has improved in recent years but faces an "acute" challenge in combating radicalisation.
Among the difficulties she cited were concerns that extremists inside the jail will influence other "disaffected" inmates.
At the same time, she said there was a separate risk that insensitive actions by prison officers trying to counter the threat of radicalisation would have the "perverse effect" of alienating other Muslims.
Belmarsh: The prison officers were criticised for not understanding the 'complexities' of dealing with the jail's 200 Islamic prisoners
"Belmarsh held a number of Muslim prisoners on terrorism charges but staff were insufficiently trained and supported to perform the delicate task of countering the risk of radicalisation without alienating Muslims in general," Ms Owers stated.
"Any intervention by staff risked being interpreted, by disaffected Muslims, as deliberately provocative.
"However, the converse was also true: that any conversion to Islam, or any gathering of Muslim prisoners to pray or associate, could be interpreted wrongly by staff as threatening and evidence of radicalisation, with the perverse effect of alienating the great majority of practising Muslims."
Ms Owers said that Muslims expressed more negative views about life inside Belmarsh than other prisoners, with two thirds claiming to be unsafe and a similar proportion claiming to have been victimised by staff.
She warned that such attitudes "suggest a high degree of alienation among these prisoners and a distrust between them and staff" and called for improved training to address the problems.
Her report added: "These are very important and difficult issues. However, it was not apparent that all staff understood the complexities within and around their Muslim population, or were able to establish effective and appropriate relationships with them.
"This is something that requires attention throughout the Prison Service, though it is particularly acute at Belmarsh."
Among the complaints reported by inmates and cited by Ms Owers is one alleged incident in which a prison officer is said to have referred to a prayer mat as a "magic carpet" and another inmate's claim that Muslim groups in the jail were "very bad" and were recruiting young black men to their cause while threatening those who refused to follow them.
More generally, the report praised recent improvements at Belmarsh, including increases in purposeful activity and time out of cells for inmates and better work at resettling offenders after their release.
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