Peter Taylor, long time BBC documentary maker with experience and expertise in terrorism and security issues, has produced a three part documentary for the BBC on the Al-Qaida inspired ideology to which British born and British based Muslims are vulnerable.  The programmes will be broadcast on BBC 2 over the  next three Monday evenings at 9pm.  The first of the programmes will go out on 8^th February.

Many police and Government sources have assisted Peter Taylor by giving interviews, access to case studies, and introductions to local authority and other partners.  The aim in doing so is to enable a thoughtful and wide ranging documentary series that might shed light on the issues of vulnerability and stimulate debate about those issues thereby furthering the ‘Prevent’ agenda.

This programme was scheduled for a slot later in the year but the Detroit incident has encouraged the BBC to bring forward the screening.  Whilst the edited programme have not been viewed by those who gave interviews, Peter Taylor has provided an account of what they contain.

It is understood that the first programme will scope the problem of radicalisation and an analysis of some of the drivers of the phenomenom in Britain.  As well as police voices there are several interviews with members of the Muslim communities in Britain and the US.

In programme two, there is a deeper insight into the International context of radicalisation and a number of case studies of young men who were radicalised leading some into criminality and others into foreign adventures to defend their Islamic nations.  There is also an analysis of legislation and the difficulties in its application.  The case studies include Munshi in West Yorkshire, Isa Ibrahim in Bristol: and Reilly in Exeter.

The third programme is focused on Prevent as an emerging strategy to intervene in the process of radicalisation.  A number of initiatives are documented including  Imam training in the West Midlands and an Act Now table top exercise in Lancashire.

There are, from what is known of the programme content, three major concerns.  The first of these is the title.   Jihad is a word owned by the Muslim community to imply the personal spiritual struggle required of their religion.  It has been hijacked by those perverting the ideology for violent purposes.  Early feedback from some Muslim community representatives suggests that the title may well deter viewers from those communities in which we seek dialogue on the issues raised.

The second, and ever present, obstacle is the perception by some that Prevent represents an unwanted targeting of Muslim communities, or of spying in those communities.  There are, on the account of the producer, those allegations and voices.  All of the other material might be overlooked  by some of viewers who share those perceptions.

The third, and frankly, most disappointing feature of the programmes is the absence of other voices from local government and partner agencies.  Prevent might be positioned, in the mind of the viewer, as a policing issue per se.  In the stated ambition of stimulating wide debate then it is  this third concern that compromises that objective.

Given the re-scheduling of the programmes there is little opportunity for the BBC to trail the series.  They, and the programme producers, intend to advertise the first programme in weekend newspapers.  The TV critics have been allowed to view the whole series and the producers hope for coverage in the Sunday papers.

If you are concerned with issues arising out of this programme including the somewhat inflammatory title ‘Generation Jihad’ please let your views known to the BBC.