The Lokahi Foundation has suggested three rules of thumb for choosing good partners in the community to address issues of extremism:

1. Don't look at the school - look at the style
2. Don't look for 'moderates' - look for credentials
3. Don't look for pluralism - look for inclusion

1. Don't look at the school - look at the style
People who are not Muslims and lack experience in the area can look for shortcuts in trying to 'engage' constructively. Sometimes that shortcut is to believe that some religious groups or schools of Islam are the right ones to deal with, and others should be avoided. This tactic can be counterproductive. What is more indicative of an individual or group who is successful in countering abuses of Islamic teaching is how that individual or group does their work. A didactic style which encourages uncritical acceptance of what is taught can suppress critical thinking and encourage passive absorption. If so, they leave the participants undefended against future threats - like a computer running a good programme but without anti-virus software. This makes people vulnerable to recruitment should they fall prey to a more charismatic leader with a more dangerous message.

Instead, look for the style with which they engage the intellects of their members:

• Do they engage critical faculties through encouraging a critical, deconstructive approach to extremist propaganda?
• Do they whip up negative emotions or calm them down?

2. Don't look for moderates - look for credentials
Similarly, much attention has been given to dealing only with 'moderate Muslims'. Again this can backfire. What qualities are being assessed to arrive at this judgement? For many who are not skilled in Islamic teaching, it can be based on superficial indicators such as style of dress, facial hair, Westernised social manners and mores, etc. This is not a reliable guide to the actual political views the person might hold. Still less does it give any indication of their personal effectiveness in countering extremism. Their own credentials in the Islamic community offer a better indicator of the influence they hold.

Instead, look for their 'credentials':

• Do they have religious authority that is widely accepted according to the norms of their particular group?
• Do their personal character and conduct inspire respect from the Muslim community as well as from non-Muslims with whom they engage?

3. Don't look for pluralism - look for inclusion
Non-Muslims frequently take as their litmus test of 'tolerance' a willingness to accept other faiths or other traditions in Islam as all equally valid. This is theologically debatable in Islam; and it does not necessarily correlate with 'tolerance'. Nor is an espousal of pluralism a reliable sign of effectiveness in modelling tolerance for their followers and preventing and discouraging hate-behaviour. Some who do not theologically view other religions as reliable routes to salvation nevertheless are in practice respectful towards people of other faiths or other traditions within Islam, and keen on discouraging hostility to other groups.

Those who are extremists are often hostile to co-operation with non-Muslims and the involvement of 'kuffar' who are effective on the same ground. This can form a useful guideline: how willing is the person or group to co-operate with non-Muslims in areas of shared concern? This is more reliable a test of a constructive approach than a theology of universal salvation or a belief that all religions are equal.

Instead, look for inclusion and tolerant behaviour:

• Are they willing to make common cause with non-Muslims on issues of shared concern?
• Do they conduct themselves in an appropriate way with those who differ religiously?
• Do they encourage respect in discussions and debates on the issues?

Case study:
Successful propaganda strategies are best observed by experienced community members who understand all of its religious, political and community contexts and are thereby best equipped to intervene against it.

For instance, one such seasoned community observer has commented on the significance of the propagandist's recurring theme of 'manhood' wherein young, inexperienced and sometimes recently converted Muslims are encouraged to see their strict daily religious practice as but one important half in their new religious lives; the other half is fighting 'the enemy' and the importance of acquiring the prerequisite skills - both mental and physical - to do justice to the task, themselves and their families.

Another has successfully dismantled one of the particular recruitment strategies employed against Muslim youths involved in street crime in London. In this case a successful intervention against al-Qaida propaganda was based more on knowledge and application of local street culture than a developed political or religious rationale. This emerging sense of expert, local and global, specialist intervention against recruitment strategies that are often highly developed in exactly the same areas will become increasingly important in the event of further terrorist attacks in the UK.