Hateful Extremism and Social Cohesion: Combating Jihadist Terror - Series 2 - Episode 18

For this episode of the Combating Jihadist Terror podcast series(2) we are delighted to welcome Dame Sara Khan, previously the Lead Commissioner for the Commission for Countering Extremism who has now been appointed, by the Prime Minister, to a new role as the government’s Independent Advisor for Social Cohesion and Resilience to tackle extremism in our communities. In this episode Dr Richards and Dame Sara begin by discussing the creation of the Commission for Countering Extremism, and the challenges faced when defining ‘extremism’ in the British context both for the Commission and her personally. Dame Sara then gives an impassioned defence of the Commission’s work, notably describing the kind of ‘hateful extremism’ that the Commission found to exist in this country and yet be entirely legal, with some telling examples of the types of actions and groups that fit this description. Finally, Dame Sara describes her new role and the links between social cohesion and extremism.