UK-Muslims
The British government has announced it is to give young Muslim a bigger role in taking forward the its Preventing Violent Extremism agenda.

"We've got nearly a million Muslims under the age of 25 living in the UK today. They've got a huge contribution to make both within their communities and wider society," Communities Secretary Hazel Blears said.

Announcing nominations for a Young Muslims' Consultative Group on Wednesday night, Blears said there huge contribution was to stand up to "prejudice in all its forms, whether it's the poison of the far right or violent extremists."
"The Young Muslims' Consultative Group is about taking our engagement with this important group to the next level and ensuring that young people have the opportunity to express their thoughts and concerns directly to those who make policy," she said.

The aim of the consultative group, made up of 20 young Muslims aged 16-21, was said to reflect the diversity of Muslim communities across England and to participate in an ongoing and meaningful dialogue with the government on their experience.

As yet another initiative of the government counter-terrorism strategy, it is to include the causes of violent extremism and its impact on young people and their communities.

Children and Families Secretary Ed Balls maintained it was "vital that we in Government listen directly to what young people have to say about their lives in Britain, and the issues they are facing, and to work with them in developing effective ways to tackle the causes of extremism."
The group was wanted to represent the views of their peers and play a leadership role, so that "every young person feel a part of their society, and support them to become more resilient to those who seek to divide rather than unite," Balls said.

The Department of Communities and Local Government argued that experience has shown that young Muslims are the most vulnerable to being drawn into violent extremism - particularly between the ages of 16-24.

The initiative comes after the government created a National Muslim Women's Advisory group that was criticized for similarly being created only as part of the government's counter-terrorism agenda rather than the positive contribution it can play.