A to Z

Al Qaeda: Translates as ‘The Base’. An organization espousing violent extremist ideology, that operates simultaneously out of a number of countries. It was established in 1988 after the defeat of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, by Osama bin Laden, who remains the figurehead.

Al Muhajiroun: an anti British extremist group proscribed under TACT January 2010.

ASBO: (Anti - social Behaviour Orders) Anti-social behavior is a term used to describe incidents or actions that cause damage to an area or affect the quality of life of individuals. The new ASBO (Anti-Social Behavior Order) laws give the police, local authorities and housing associations more powers to make the society in which we live safer. These laws were first passed in January 2004, and aim to tackle vandalism, intimidation, noise pollution, graffiti and general nuisance behaviour that affects the quality of life of others.

Airport Security: this is vital to ensure that all passengers travelling in and out of the country do so safely and with minimum hassle. Please allow extra time to go through the enhanced security checks and ensure that all paperwork is up to date and ready for travel. 

Bullying: action that involves the intimidation of another person or people and can affect individuals irrespective of age, background and gender. Bullying can take a number of different forms, such as verbal, physical, mental, and emotional. Cyber bullying is also on the increase, with many people, particularly the young, using the latest technology such as the Internet and mobile phones to intimidate others.

The Bible: The holy book central to the Christian and Jewish faith. The bible contains the central religious texts of Christianity, namely the Old Testament and the New Testament. In Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy, additional books, called the   Deuterocanonical, are included.

BNP: British National Party. A British far right nationalist political party that advocates strict immigration control and the return of capital punishment for selected criminals. 

British Muslims: Muslims living in Britain.

CONTEST: The official Government’s strategy to counter terrorism. It is based on four strands; Prevent, Pursue, Protect and Prepare and was launched in 2003, updated in 2009.

Control Orders: Control Orders were introduced under 2005 anti-terrorism legislation. Ministers can place people suspected of involvement in terrorism under close supervision. 

Conservative Party: 1. Main U.K. rightof centre political party. It was founded in the early 1830s as a successor to the Tory Party.

Citizen – A legal resident of a country; somebody who has the right to live in a country because he or she was born there or has been legally accepted as a permanent resident.

Civilian - Somebody who is not a member of the armed forces, a police officer, or a public official. 

Conscription – the obligatory enrolment of citizens in the armed forces of a country. Currently there are many countries that use conscription to recruit for its armed forces: Cyprus, Egypt, Israel to name a few.

Christianity: A monotheistic religion that follows Jesus Christ's teachings: the religion based on the life, teachings, and example of Jesus Christ

Criminality: A criminal act or practice.

Community Cohesion: Community cohesion is what must happen in all communities to enable different groups of people to get on well together and respect each other’s religious, political and cultural backgrounds and views

Conflict: Another term for a dispute between two or more entities; this can be physical (warfare), psychological (disharmony between ideals and beliefs) or emotional (inconsistency between what is felt by the person and what is expressed to the outer world). 

Conflict management: The management of a conflict towards a desirable and acceptable conclusion. However it is also referred to as a situation where conflict is a deliberate personal, social and organizational tool, especially used by capable politicians and other social engineers to create an artificial situation.

Conflict Resolution: The process of attempting to solve a conflict or dispute between two or more entities, often by a third party intermediary. Both parties need to be in agreement with the proposals for the agreed solutions to work.              

Discrimination - Treating people differently through prejudice: unfair treatment of one person or group, usually because of prejudice about race, ethnicity, age, religion, or gender

Democracy - There is no set global definition of the word ‘Democracy’, as such every democratic country has its own definition, and the definition provided on this site refers to Britain. Democracy is a  political system that allows every citizen over 18 years of age to attend political meetings, vote and participate in freely held elections, and accept the majority decision if the vote results in a political party being elected that the individual may not have voted for.

Anyone can stand for election, regardless of their religious beliefs, ethnic background, sexual orientation or gender. The only exception is prisoners currently serving a sentence. 

Within a democracy, there is Freedom of Speech, which allows individuals to express their views and opinions, even though they may not be accepted by others. 

Also in a democracy, there is Freedom of the Press. There is an expectation that the media should present news in an impartial and unbiased manner.

Da’wah: Literally translates as ‘making an invitation’. Muslims can ‘invite’ non Muslims to Islam, but also ‘invite’ Muslims to practice their religion more piously. 

Diversity – the culmination of various groups within a unified society, sharing a set of similar values and beliefs yet retaining individualistic identities and heritage.

English Defence League (EDL):  an anti Islamist extremist group established in 2009.

Education - The imparting and acquiring of knowledge through teaching and learning, especially at a school or similar institution

Empower – To capacity build someone to be more confident or assertive: to give somebody a greater sense of confidence or self-esteem. This can done through either mentoring or training.

Equality – The state of being equal: rights, treatment, quantity, or value equal to all others in a specific group.

Extremism: the display of behaviour or thought patterns that are beyond the accepted norm. 

Political extremism: refers to any political theory that endorses immoderate and uncompromising policies.

Extremist: a person who displays immovable, fanatical and uncompromising views and behaviour. This term is especially applied to politically radical individuals. 

Fundamentalism – Adheres to the practices of faith and religion from an absolute fundamental level.

Forum – An online message board.

Fardh – to fulfill one’s obligatory actions towards Allah.

Facebook – Social networking site.

Grooming – To manipulate and take advantage of innocent or vulnerable victim.

Geneva Conventions – The Geneva Conventions consist of four treaties and three additional protocols, with the last protocol being adopted in 2005. The Conventions comprise rules that apply in times of armed conflict and seek to protect people who are not or are no longer taking part in hostilities, for example:

wounded or sick fighters

prisoners of war

civilians

medical and religious personnel.

Grievances – a cause for complaint or resentment that may or may not be well-founded.

Genocide – An act committed in order for the systematic destruction of a race, religion or national group.

Hizb’ut Tahrir: An extremist group aiming to establish the ‘Khalifah’ (Caliphate) abroad.

Honour – Pride and respect usually associated with family lineage and standing in the community. 

Honour killings – Those who kill to protect their family’s honour. 

Hadith – Reported saying or traditions of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) that are not part of the Qur'an. This term also refers to the practices the Prophet (PBUH) showed His (PBUH) silent approval on.

Heritage – a reference to inherited goods, or non material items from ancestors. Often this is our language, our cultural beliefs, or our notion of self worth.

Human Rights – Refers to the basic rights of human beings regardless of race, religion, sex, nationality.

Humiliation - degradation or dishonour in order to belittle.

Immigration – the act of entering a new country to settle permanently.

 Islam – a monotheistic religion based on the word of God as revealed to Muhammad during the 7th century.

Ideology - closely organized system of beliefs, values, and ideas forming the basis of a social, economic, or political philosophy or programme.

Integration - the process of becoming an accepted member of a group or community.

Innocent till proven guilty – Rule of law.

Intolerant- showing an unwillingness or refusal to accept people or views, beliefs and lifestyles that are different from your own.

Jihad – The true meaning is “struggle” both internal and external. 

Judaism - the religion of the Jews, which has its basis in the Torah. In Judaism, God is the creator of everything and the source of all goodness.

Knowledge - clear awareness or explicit information, e.g. of a situation or fact.

Labour: a British political party founded in 1900 to support the rights and interests of working.

Local News – Information based on a local area.

Liberal – (Political) someone who favours gradual reform, especially political reforms that extend democracy, distribute wealth more evenly, and protect the personal freedom of the individual. 

Liberal Democrats: A British centre left political party

Madressahs – Religious Islamic schools.

Mosques - Mosques: A building in which Muslims worship.

Martyr/Martyrdom – The act of self sacrifice for a political or religious cause.

Murder – taking of an innocent life with intent.

Moderate - neither particularly good nor particularly bad. When applied to religion, it denotes a person who is neither too religious nor is too secular.

Migrants - somebody who moves from one place to another, often for employment or economic improvement

Myspace – Social networking website.

Myth – taking something as a fact that is not true.

Muslims: a person whose religion is Islam

OSCT – Office for Security and Counter Terrorism.

Police - a civil organization whose members are given special legal powers by the government and whose task is to maintain public order and to solve and prevent crimes.

Prevent - to cause something not to happen or not to be done. The UK Government’s Preventing Violent Extremism strategy aims to prevent those who are vulnerable to becoming radicalized into violent extremists.

Pillars of Islam- Five pillars which act as the foundations of Islam:

Declaration of faith (There is no god worthy of worship other than Allah, and Muhammad is His Messenger), 

Salat (5 daily prayers)

Zakat (Giving to the poor)

Sawm (Fasting)

Hajj (Pilgrimage to Mecca)

Quran - the central religious text of Islam. Muslims believe it is a book of divine guidance and direction for mankind.

Racism - prejudice or animosity against people who belong to other races.

Residents - a permanent or long-term dweller in a place/ country.

Radical - favouring or making economic, political, or social changes of a sweeping or extreme nature. In a religious context, supporting extreme interpretations or views on how your faith should be practiced.

Radicalisation: the process of becoming a radical

Respect – to accept and appreciate other people and their views regardless of their religion/ race or background. To gain respect you need to respect others in the first place.

Rights – Entitlements or permissions, usually of a legal or moral nature.

Sexism - The favouring of one gender above the other.

Support – Providing help and guidance to those who may need it.

Schools – Establishments where learning takes place.

Scholars – Those who are learned people in their chosen fields. 

Security - To keep people safe, to protect people from harm.

Service Providers – Institutes or people who provide a service to others. This may include the police, the local councils, schools, doctors and youth clubs.

Terrorism – The calculated use of violence (or the threat of violence) against civilians in order to attain goals that are political or religious or ideological in nature; this is done through intimidation or coercion or instilling fear.

State Terrorism is terrorism supported or perpetrated by the state, often against its own people. The definition of ‘terrorism’ does not have an international consensus, and as a result, remains controversial.

Terrorist: somebody who uses violence to intimidate others for political purposes.

Theology – The study of God.

Tolerant - showing respect for the rights or opinions or practices of others.

UN – The United Nations is an international organization founded in 1945 after the Second World War by 51 countries committed to maintaining international peace and security, developing friendly relations among nations and promoting social progress, better living standards and human rights. 

Due to its unique international character, and the powers vested in its founding Charter, the Organization can take action on a wide range of issues, and provide a forum for its current 192 Member States to express their views, through the General Assembly, the Security Council, the Economic and Social Council and other bodies and committees.

Violent Extremism – according to the Crown Prosecution Service (UK), this can be defined in the following manner: The demonstration of unacceptable behaviour by using any means or medium to express views which:

Encourage, justify or glorify terrorist violence in furtherance of particular beliefs;

Seek to provoke others to commit terrorist acts;

Incite other serious criminal activity or seek to provoke others to serious criminal acts; or

Foster hatred which might lead to inter-community violence in the UK.

Vulnerability – a person who is said to be vulnerable is exceptionally susceptible to or liable to give in to temptation.  

War – An armed conflict between two or more entities. 

War on Terror – this is an outdated term for the military, political, legal and ideological efforts against Islamist terrorism and Islamist militants, The UK has long stopped using the term due to the negative connotations and not wanting anyone to twist the phrase to suggest that there is a ‘war on Islam’.

Both the term and the policies it denotes have been a source of ongoing controversy, as critics argue it has been used to justify unilateral preemptive war, human rights abuses and other violations of international law. Since March 2009, the Obama administration requested that Pentagon staff members avoid use of the term, instead using "Overseas Contingency Operation". The administration has re-focused US involvement in the conflict on the withdrawal of its troops from Iraq, the closing of Guantanamo Bay detention camp, and increasing the number of troops in Afghanistan.

Xenophobia - fear of foreigners: an intense fear or dislike of foreign people, their customs and culture, or foreign things.

Youth – is someone who is not a child any longer but has yet to reach adulthood and/ or maturity. 

YMAG – Young Muslim Advisory Group. A group of 24 young people who advise the Government on how the Prevent policy affects young Muslims in Britain.