A grassroots social movement which began in Sydney in 2005 to counter extremist propaganda targeted at Muslim youth says it is ready to help the federal government, if it wants assistance developing deradicalisation programs.
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The community program was founded by Mustapha Kara-Ali, a member of former prime minister John Howard's Muslim Community Reference Group, in 2005 in Sydney and secured government funding in 2006.
Funding was discontinued by subsequent governments but the Building Identity and Resisting Radicalisation initiative still runs on a volunteer basis to empower at-risk Muslim youth to challenge extremist radicalisers and their messages.
Mr Kara-Ali said disengagement of Muslim youth from society often began when young people struggled to find their place the community, leaving them vulnerable to the extremist agenda.
"The big challenge in my assessment that faces us today with the rise of a new wave of violent extremism is how do we undercut the propaganda of extremists on social media and elsewhere, while facilitating for those who wish to join Australians in dissuading other young Australians that might be considering joining up with these groups," he said.
The program identified the problem of the growing reliance of Australian-born Muslim youth on religious information promoting extremism in the name of Islam and the distribution of such material in various prayer halls and particular suburbs which led to the formation of youth sub-cultures of alienation and disenfranchisement.
Mr Kara-Ali has been sponsored by an Australian Government Endeavour Malaysia Award to undertake a postdoctoral research fellowship at Harvard University.
He is working on further developing the BIRR program at Harvard University's Divinity School.
The mentoring initiative secured funding in 2006 and was piloted in 2007 in south-west Sydney and later extended into Melbourne and online into other cities.
