Leaked UK Home Office Report Identifies Hindu Nationalism and Pro-Khalistan Extremism as Emerging Threats

Featured & Cover Leaked UK Home Office Report Identifies Hindu Nationalism and Pro Khalistan Extremism as Emerging Threats

A leaked report from the UK Home Office has highlighted Hindu nationalism and pro-Khalistan extremism (PKE) as new forms of extremism that need to be addressed in Britain. However, this document does not yet represent official British government policy.

The report, which was leaked to the think tank Policy Exchange, outlines nine emerging extremist threats that UK counter-extremist policy should target. These threats are listed in the following order: Islamist extremism, extreme right-wing extremism, extreme misogyny, pro-Khalistan extremism, Hindu nationalist extremism, environmental extremism, left-wing, anarchist, and single-issue extremism, as well as violence fascination and conspiracy theories.

The report is a product of a “rapid analytical sprint” commissioned by Home Secretary Yvette Cooper to shape the UK government’s stance on extremism in response to riots that took place last summer. The sprint was authored by multiple agencies within the Home Office, including Prevent, the Research, Information and Communications Unit (RICU), and Homeland Security, Analysis and Insight (HSAI).

Andrew Gilligan and Dr. Paul Stott from Policy Exchange, who analyzed the leaked sprint, revealed that the document dedicates two pages to extremism linked to the Indian subcontinent—specifically PKE and Hindu nationalist extremism, also referred to as “Hindutva.”

“Given the violence which occurred in Leicester in September 2022 between Hindus and Muslims, the government is correct to place Hindu nationalist extremism under the spotlight — not least as knowledge of it is generally low,” Gilligan and Stott wrote in their report. They further stated that it was a “mistake” to exclude Hindu nationalism from the 2023 independent review of Prevent.

According to the sprint, “in Leicester, key voices within both Muslim and Hindu communities played a significant role in opportunistically exploiting tensions and inciting hate among local communities.”

Regarding pro-Khalistan extremism, the sprint acknowledges that advocating for an independent Sikh state of Khalistan is not inherently extremist. However, it raises concerns when such advocacy involves supporting violence. The report points to a “growing portfolio of actors of concern within the Khalistan movement” and notes instances of activism that contribute to “the demonisation of Muslim communities, particularly in relation to child sexual exploitation allegations” and conspiracy theories alleging collusion between the British and Indian governments.

The sprint also acknowledges concerns regarding India’s role abroad, specifically referring to accusations that the Indian government has been involved in deadly violence against Sikhs in Canada and the United States. “The sprint de-centres and downplays Islamism, by far the greatest threat to national security,” Gilligan and Stott stated, noting that it receives just one page in the report.

In the UK, Islamist terrorism remains the predominant domestic terrorist threat. It has accounted for 67% of attacks since 2018, represents around three-quarters of the MI5 caseload, and comprises 64% of individuals currently in custody for terrorism-related offences.

A Home Office spokesperson addressed the report, stating: “The counter-extremism sprint sought to comprehensively assess the challenge facing our country and lay the foundations for a new approach to tackling extremism—so we can stop people being drawn towards hateful ideologies. This includes tackling Islamism and extreme right-wing ideologies, which are the most prominent today. The findings from the sprint have not been formally agreed by ministers, and we are considering a wide range of potential next steps arising from that work.”

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