LONDON — Western security forces have a new frontline in the battle against Islamist terrorism: the under-fives.
Britain has drawn up plans to force kindergarten teachers and registered child-minders to spy on pre-school children in a bid to halt the radicalization of a new generation. Two young children were also taken into protective police custody last week when their mother, who was questioned over terror-related offenses, returned to Britain on a flight from Turkey.
The apparent crackdown on pre-pubescent Muslims marks an extraordinary expansion in Britain’s already controversial counter-radicalization strategy.
Alarming images of young British children pictured with weapons in the so-called Islamic State prompted officials in London to say they would consider taking into care the offspring of men and women who had travelled abroad to join ISIS. Then, on New Year’s Eve, police took the two children, who landed at Luton airport with their mother, under child protection laws.
Plans drawn up by the Home Office would further extend the remit of child protection officials to include toddlers at risk of radicalization on home soil. A 39-page document that accompanies the Counter-Terrorism and Security Bill being considered by parliament says nurseries and early childcare providers, as well as universities and prisons, have a duty “to prevent people being drawn into terrorism.”
“The innocence of young people must be preserved at all costs,” said Glees. “That means that they cannot be considered targets for intelligence-led activity.” ...
Under the proposals, nursery staff would be expected to report children who were making anti-Semitic remarks or said they had been taught that non-Muslims were inferior. “We would expect staff to have the training they need to identify children at risk of radicalization and know where and how to refer them for further help if necessary,” a Home Office spokesman said...
