Author:
Publication: Sky News
Date: October 10, 2008
URL: http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/UK-News/Muslim-Prison-Gangs-Forcing-Inmates-Into-Islamic-Radicalism/Article/200810215117385
Muslim prison gangs are trying to force other
inmates to sign up to Islamic radicalism, prison officers have warned.
Extremists at high security HMP Whitemoor
in Cambridgeshire were pushing a "strict and extreme" interpretation
of Islamic practice, inspectors were told.
There was a perception among officers that
some Muslim prisoners operated as a gang and put pressures on non-Muslim prisoners
to convert, and on other Muslim prisoners to conform to a strict and extreme
interpretation of Islamic practice.
Chief Inspector of Prisons Anne Owers
Chief Inspector of Prisons Anne Owers found
staff were reluctant to tackle "inappropriate behaviour" and she
was told Muslim prisoners were able to "police themselves".
She was told: "The new gang are the Muslims.
The Muslim group is a big group and others are looking for protection.
"Those who are isolated are looking for
protection and so are the ones converting as they won't get help from screws."
Earlier this week, an EU-commissioned report
warned urgent action was required to stop brainwashing by jailed extremists.
Dr Peter Neumann from King's College London
said governments across Europe should observe prisons more closely in the
future as they were likely to become "major hubs" for terrorist
recruitment.
He suggested creating "jihadist prisons"
in which to isolate Islamist militants.
