Muslim Police in England Claim Government's Anti-Terrorism Policies Increase "Islamophobia"

The Ethics Daily website reports today that a 2,000-member organization of Muslim police officers in England claims the government's anti-terrorism policies are an "affront to British values," and are contributing to an upsurge in "Islamophobia."

The National Association of Muslim Police said in a seven-page statement to a parliamentary committee that Prime Minister Gordon Brown's "Prevent" strategy -- aimed at halting the spread of violent extremism -- actually is "stigmatizing" Muslims by targeting so-called "Islamic extremism."

The British government has insisted the "Prevent" anti-terrorism measures -- which cost about $227 million per year -- are a "real success" that have put more than 200 people in prison for terrorist offenses in the past eight years.