Twenty young Muslims are to become personal advisors to three cabinet ministers in a new scheme set up by an increasingly desperate Labour Government in an attempt to halt extremism in Muslim youth.

A new group, The Young Muslims Advisory Group, is being set up to give advice to Communities Secretary Hazel Blears, Culture Secretary Andy Burnham and Ed Balls as to how young British Muslims are feeling in the UK.

The group, to be launched in October, will also work with Arts Council England and Sport England to see if cultural and sporting opportunities can reduce tensions in Islamic communities, with such projects as music festivals and football tournaments being touted.

The focus of the new group will be to give cabinet ministers a personal understanding of the issues that affect young Muslims, including employment opportunities and education.

The Young Muslims Advisory Group will also be publicised in the media where it will promote positive role models and build the capacity of young people, in terms of skills, knowledge and confidence, to counter extremist ideology.

One of the first tasks of the group will be to organise a National Youth Conference which will address the challenges facing young Muslims in Britain.

Hazel Blears outlined her vision for the group:

Ensuring young Muslims have access to constructive, democratic channels for dealing with concerns is crucial to our efforts to build communities that are resilient to extremist messages.

We need to equip young Muslims to take the lead in challenging prejudice and preconceptions both within their own communities and in wider society.

The Young Muslims Advisory Group is about identifying the next generation of Muslim community leaders and providing a platform to speak out on issues that are important to them.

In a similar move, Blears announced the establishment of the Young Indigenous Britons Forum that will have the ear of cabinet ministers to talk about issues that affect British youth. The group will hold its inaugural meeting in Cloud Cuckoo Land. (less info)