Why are we not challenging violent Islamism in our schools?

Just as they can dismantle racist rhetoric, teachers should be able to dismantle the idea that Islam and the west are at war
Hasib Hussain
London bomber Hasib Hussain at King's Cross railway station on the morning of 7 July 2005. Photograph: Metropolitan Police handout/EPA

Last week the 7/7 inquiry heard that Hasib Hussain, who murdered 13 innocent people in the Tavistock Square bus bombing, had littered his school exercise books with "supportive references" to al-Qaida. Despite this, the inquiry heard, his teachers considered him to be a "model student".

Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, who attempted to detonate a bomb on a flight to Detroit on Christmas Day, 2009, was also described as a "model pupil". Indeed, his former teacher said: "He was very interested in world affairs and would stay behind after lessons to discuss issues. For a teacher, that was just wonderful." This is despite the fact that Abdulmutallab's "interest in world affairs" extended to support for the Taliban.

When I was at school in Birmingham, one of my contemporaries – a boy of 11 – regularly stated his desire to blow himself up outside the Israeli embassy. Teachers largely stood by bemused. My schoolmate, fortunately, grew out of it. Others, such as Hasib Hussain, tragically do not.

If a schoolboy developed a penchant for decorating his books with doodles supporting violently racist groups like Combat 18, his teachers would be unlikely to consider him a "model student". Moreover, if he went on to commit a terrorist atrocity, there would be calls for schools to do more to challenge pupils' racist views.

In the parallel reality of 21st-century Britain, however, little has been done to help teachers challenge pupils who espouse violently Islamist views. The 7/7 inquiry hearings have even coincided with calls to scrap the Channel project, a scheme set up to work with teachers to identify and support children being groomed by violent extremists.

This discrepancy between responses to violence inspired by Islamist ideology and violence inspired by racism is what David Cameron discussed in his recent speech in Munich: "So, when a white person holds objectionable views, racist views for instance, we rightly condemn them. But when equally unacceptable views or practices come from someone who isn't white, we've been too cautious – frankly, even fearful – to stand up to them."

So why are so many teachers so fearful to act if their pupils espouse violent Islamist views? One of the main issues is that pro-Islamist pressure groups have muddied the water by branding as "spying" all attempts to involve teachers in challenging pupils' violently extreme views.

This situation has been exacerbated by the secrecy surrounding the Channel project. Of course the identities of vulnerable individuals must be protected, but in the shadows created by lack of government disclosure, conspiracy theories have thrived. Little wonder, therefore, that this important attempt to prevent future racist or Islamist terrorism has been caricatured in the pages of the TES as a "teacher 'spy' op".

At the same time, many teachers feel unable to challenge Islamist extremism in the classroom because they have only a very basic knowledge of Islam. Some "experts" have endorsed this position, advising that teachers should stay out because they lack in-depth knowledge of issues surrounding Islam and Muslims in the UK.

Of course, it is intrinsically useful for teachers to develop their understanding of Britain's diverse society. But do they really require an understanding of the intricate subtleties separating Hanbali and Hanafi fiqh, for example, before they can challenge a pupil who wants to fight alongside Osama bin Laden?

The solution, therefore, is to raise teachers' levels of confidence about these issues. In most cases, they will be dealing with young people experimenting with ideas they barely understand and trying to shock. Teachers need, therefore, access to training about what Islamism is, its key narratives and how to challenge them. Just as they can dismantle racist rhetoric, teachers should be able to dismantle the idea that "Islam" and "the west" are "at war". Of course, teachers are not best placed to help in the most serious cases. They need, therefore, the option of referring their concerns to a dedicated and expert team, for example through the Channel project.

This is not about spying on students. It is about supporting vulnerable young people and preventing them from becoming the next Hasib Hussain or Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab.