Social isolation behind terrorism

Counter terrorism chief tells force leaders that extremism and terrorism suspects have come from communities with a lack of integration. The police chief leading the fight against extremist murder plots has said a lack of integration was a factor driving some suspects to stage attacks, while a former government adviser said social isolation was driving rising Islamist and far-right terrorism. Louise Casey, former government integration leader, told an audience of police that oppression of women in Muslim communities was a sign of extremism that led to Islamist terrorism. She said that that was feeding the rise of the extreme right and an increase in the terrorist threat neo-Nazis posed. Casey said: “We are helping the extreme right wing if we do not take these issues on. They are nasty, horrible racist people who have no place in our society but their numbers are growing. I also think in our desire to embrace diversity we are creating division.” Mark Rowley, Metropolitan police assistant commissioner and UK head of counter terrorism, said: “We do see evidence of some of our suspects coming from communities with low integration, both Islamist and extreme rightwing. That does not mean that everyone from a non-integrated community is a terrorist.”