Tuesday 9th March, 5.00pm
Arts Lecture Theatre, New Arts Faculty Building

Terror Crime Prevention and Communities
Seminar by

Dr Basia Spalek, Reader in Communities & Justice, Communities, Securities and Global Justice Grouping, IASS, University of Birmingham

Bio

Dr.Spalek has led two high profile research projects funded by the Arts & Humanities & Economic and Social Studies Research Councils looking specifically at community-based approaches to counter-terrorism:

‘A Study exploring Questions relating to Partnership between Police and Muslim Communities in the Prevention of Violent Religio-Political Extremism amongst Muslim Youth’ Religion & Society Programme 2009-2010
‘An Examination of Partnership Approaches to Challenging Religiously-Endorsed Violence involving Muslim Groups and Police’ Religion & Society Programme 2008-2009

Dr Spalek is also collaborating with US researchers examining community-based strategies to countering terrorism. Dr Spalek regularly undertakes consultation work for the Department for Communities & Local Government (DCLG), the National Offender Management Service (NOMS), the Home Office, the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) and other local and national government and other agencies. Dr Spalek’s research interests lie in diversity, equality, counter-terrorism legislation and Muslim communities. Dr Spalek is currently an Ambassador to the Make Justice Work campaign being run by the Centre for Crime & Justice Studies, King’s College London.

Abstract

Historically, countering terrorism has been something that the security services have carried out on behalf of the state, without community consultation or consent. Since 9/11, however, this tradition has been increasingly questioned, with the notion that communities can defeat al Qaeda related or influenced terrorism having gained increasing ascendency across numerous policy, security and other contexts, both nationally and internationally. Community involvement in the prevention of terror crime is complex and subject to many stresses, including the creation and otherisation of suspect communities, particularly of Muslim communities, and human rights abuses across the globe. This seminar examines the involvement of Muslim communities in terror crime prevention work in the UK in order to explore the advantages and disadvantages of community involvement.