{"id":21721,"date":"2015-07-23T15:00:37","date_gmt":"2015-07-23T05:00:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/?p=21721"},"modified":"2015-07-23T12:04:02","modified_gmt":"2015-07-23T02:04:02","slug":"the-role-of-national-values-in-combatting-extremism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/the-role-of-national-values-in-combatting-extremism\/","title":{"rendered":"The role of national values in combatting extremism"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/a><\/p>\n On Monday, British Prime Minister David Cameron unfurled his Government\u2019s five-year strategy<\/a> to combat extremism in the UK.<\/p>\n Cameron argued that there are four key reasons that people are drawn to extremist ideology: extremism can appear \u2018exciting\u2019, people don\u2019t have to support violence to be attracted to extremism, extremists are drowning out positive Muslim voices and finally, some British-born Muslims experience an \u2018identity crisis\u2019.<\/p>\n Responding to this characterisation of extremism, Cameron announced that promoting liberal values will form a core component of the UK\u2019s plan to counter extremism:<\/p>\n \u2018\u2026any strategy to defeat extremism must confront, head on, the extreme ideology that underpins it\u2026 In doing so, let\u2019s not forget our strongest weapon: our own liberal values\u2026We should contrast their bigotry, aggression and theocracy with our values\u2026we can all feel part of this country\u2014and we must now all come together and stand up for our values with confidence and pride.\u2019<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Cameron announced a number of initiatives to combat the problem at hand. They include legislating to curb the messages of leaders and foreign channels that propagate extremism, setting up a local community engagement forum that puts government in touch with those challenging extremism, and calling for a report on integration of minorities<\/a>.<\/p>\n Cameron\u2019s speech was largely well-received<\/a>. There\u2019ve been some criticisms that the strategy unfairly targets Muslim communities<\/a> and stifles free speech<\/a>. But the fact remains that the UK has developed a nuanced understanding of extremism, and created a comprehensive model to address it in a way that goes beyond simple counter-narratives.<\/p>\n As a point of contrast, the US exemplifies the national security benefits that a unifying national narrative can bring. The US hasn\u2019t needed to adopt a strategy to boost its values in combatting extremism – it already has a history of a strong national identity. Recent Pew Polls <\/em>(see here<\/a> and here<\/a>) have consistently found that American Muslims are much more integrated than other Muslims minorities around the world. And while the US has some problems with extremism, it has roughly the same number of nationals fighting for Islamic State as Australia<\/a>, despite having a population 13 times the size.<\/p>\n What does this mean for Australia? Like the UK, Australia has a history of difficulty in defining its national identity. Anthony Bergin and I argued in an op-ed<\/a> last week that clarifying and promoting Australian values should therefore be integrated into our own national strategy to combat extremism.<\/p>\n It\u2019s understandable that there\u2019s been difficulty in defining \u2018Australianness\u2019. Many Australian citizens have grown up at the intersection of two or more cultures. About a quarter of Australians were born overseas, and almost half the population has at least one parent who was born overseas<\/a>. As such, forming a clear Australian identity becomes increasingly complex, and there\u2019s legitimate reluctance to discuss this sensitive topic.<\/p>\n Australia\u2019s recent experiences with home-grown extremism suggest that a lack of connection to Australian values can have dire consequences for a small, but significant minority. While almost all of the 54 individuals identified in ASPI\u2019s Gen Y jihadists<\/em><\/a> publication were born in or grew up in Australia, at least 70% of them come from diverse ethnic backgrounds. In the 1990s and early 21st\u00a0<\/span>century, the majority of home-grown extremists had Lebanese heritage, but there\u2019s been a notable shift to a much wider range of ethnicities.<\/p>\n If our policy to counter extremism doesn\u2019t address the potential role of identity conflicts, we risk overlooking a vital facet of the radicalisation problem.<\/p>\n In the Australian context, we could build on the traditional notion\u00a0of the \u2018fair go\u2019. Recent research<\/a> found that 9 out of 10 Australians think that fairness is a core Australian value. Fairness, which is grounded in inclusion, could provide fertile ground for framing a revamped Australian identity.<\/p>\n I\u2019m not suggesting that Australia should reinvigorate how it defines its values for the sole purpose of preventing violent extremism. Merging these two goals risks the strategy being perceived as opportunistic, and could well be counter-productive.<\/p>\n My point is that extremism has exposed weaknesses in the community\u2019s sense and understanding of Australian values. To quote the citizenship discussion paper<\/a>, \u2018citizens who become involved in terrorism are rejecting Australia\u2019s values and commitment to a safe and harmonious society\u2019. We need a longer-term strategy to build community connection with Australian values.<\/p>\n Redefining and promoting national values is a good start. This should also be co-ordinated with the related but separate field of building social cohesion. Ideas of this vein have already been put forward. PhD candidate Hussain Nadim, for example, advocated<\/a> investing in sport, film competitions and government internships for Muslim youth.<\/p>\n Talking about Australian values doesn\u2019t need to be an agenda of the far right. Australian-bred extremism serves as a grim warning of the importance of having strong yet inclusive values. This debate also provides an opportunity for government and civil society to revitalise what it means to be Australian. There\u2019s a need for all Australians to feel <\/em>Australian instead of just being <\/em>Australian, and if they do, the benefits could well transcend national security.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" On Monday, British Prime Minister David Cameron unfurled his Government\u2019s five-year strategy to combat extremism in the UK. Cameron argued that there are four key reasons that people are drawn to extremist ideology: extremism can …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":309,"featured_media":21724,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[317,273,276,141],"class_list":["post-21721","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general","tag-community-engagement","tag-counterterrorism","tag-extremism","tag-united-kingdom"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n