Project Contest

Project Contest "is the creation of top cabinet officials and was supervised by Andrew Turnbull, a close adviser of British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

"In attempting to determine how potential militants are recruited from the Muslim population, the government plan focuses on the country's Islamic spiritual leaders.

""The Sunday Times" reports the government hopes to support the work of moderate clerics while barring entry to radical foreign imams or extraditing those already in the country.

"At the same time, the study notes that the government should play a greater role in cultivating young Muslims with future leadership potential. Such steps would be part of Britain's long-term antiterrorism strategy." 

"Project Contest's purpose was set out by Sir Andrew Turnbull, the then cabinet secretary, in a letter to permanent secretaries in April last year. He wrote: "The aim is to prevent terrorism by tackling its causes ... to diminish support for terrorists by influencing social and economic issues."

"Sir Andrew explained: "Al-Qaeda and its offshoots provide a dramatic pole of attraction for the most disaffected." It also pointed out that Muslims came from communities most likely to suffer from unemployment and disadvantage."