Roundup: British PM unveils new plan to tackle extremism

British Prime Minister David Cameron on Monday unveiled his new long-term plan to tackle extremism, warning citizens not to become "cannon fodder" of the "poisonous ideology."

"What we are fighting, in Islamist extremism, is an ideology. It is an extreme doctrine. And like any extreme doctrine, it is subversive," Cameron said in a speech at Ninestiles School in Birmingham.

"At its furthest end it seeks to destroy nation-states to invent its own barbaric realm. And it often backs violence to achieve this aim, mostly violence against fellow Muslims, who don't subscribe to its sick worldview," he told the audience.

Announcing the key principles in his new scheme, Cameron said Britain's strategy to defeat extremism must confront "head on" the extreme ideology that underpins it.

Warning young people not to join the extremists, he said:" You won't be some valued member of a movement. You are cannon fodder for them."

"If you are a boy, they will brainwash you, strap bombs to your body and blow you up. If you are a girl, they will enslave and abuse you," he continued.

Emphasizing the need to enforce the "British values", Cameron said there should be no more "turning a blind eye on the false basis of cultural sensitivities."

"We need everyone, government, local authorities, police, schools, all of us, to enforce our values right across the spectrum," he urged.

He added that the strategy must be to tackle both the "non-violent and violent" parts of the ideology and to "embolden different voices" within the Muslim community.

Cameron promised to give the ethnic minorities more opportunities and power to make them feel they have "a real stake" in society.

The prime minister also used the speech to challenge the idea that Western meddling in the Middle East is to blame for the rise in extremism.

"Some argue it's because of historic injustices and recent wars, or because of poverty and hardship. This argument, what I call the grievance justification, must be challenged," he said, arguing that the root cause of the extremist threat is "the extremist ideology itself."

However, political observers warned that Cameron's speech could potentially ignite controversy among religious groups who may believe the new principles could be counter-productive and further alienate Muslim communities.

In response to Cameron's speech, the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) said in a statement: "Challenging extremist ideology is what we all want, but we need to define tightly and closely what extremism is rather than perpetuate a deep misunderstanding of Islam and rhetoric, which inevitably facilitates extremists to thrive."

"We worry, however, that these latest suggestions will set new litmus tests which may brand us all as extremists, even though we uphold and celebrate the rule of law, democracy and rights for all. Dissenting is a proud tradition of ours that must not be driven underground," the statement added.

"Above all we need to allow for real political issues to be discussed and debated robustly and not drive our youth underground for fear of being cast extremist," the MCB said. Endit