Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the remarks by the Lord Privy Seal on 25 November (HL Deb, col 789), what steps they intend to take to encourage British Muslims to address interpretations of the Qur’an, the Hadith and the Sunnah which deem them to form a justification for violence.

There is a central verse in the Holy Quran which states there is ‘no compulsion in religion’ a teaching which reflects the thinking and practice of many British Muslims.

The Government has worked closely with British Muslim community organisations, such as the Federation of Muslim Organisations and Leeds Makkah Mosque, to enable the voice of the vast majority of Muslims across the country, who strongly oppose the poisonous rhetoric of violent extremists, to be heard. This is in addition to the regular contact Ministers and officials have with faith communities. We also commend the proactive community-led work such as the #notinmyname campaign and the letter signed by over 100 British Muslims leaders which categorically denounces ISIL's barbaric actions.

Efforts such as these are valuable in challenging extremists and in bringing together the different communities in Britain.