Religious Leaders in U.K. Disagree with Extremism Prevention Policy
- Updated Sep 14, 2015
Religious leaders are voicing their condemnation of new security measures being taken by the U.K.'s Government in an effort to prevent religious extremism.
Christian Today reports that the proposals for the new security measures state that the government will “require all faiths to maintain a national register of faith leaders.” There will also be a “minimum level of training and checks” that religious leaders will be required to undergo.
The tighter security measures come as a backlash to Islamist extremism which Prime Minister David Cameron has labeled “the struggle of our generation.”
Religious leaders from different faiths are condemning the security measures.
Maulana Shah Raza, an imam who is a founding member of the Mosques and Imams National Advisory Board, stated that the government should not “meddle in religious affairs or to expand the state’s involvement in deciding on religious and theological issues.”
Catholic priest Father Jeffrey Steel also opposes the new measures. On Twitter he stated, “Exactly what China did and does. Don’t submit!”
Colin Green, Christian author and expert on apologetics even compared the new measures to a dystopian society.
“Government plans to put church leaders’ names on a watchlist. No this isn’t a novel by George Orwell.”
Photo courtesy: en.wikipedia.org
Publication date: September 14, 2015
