A play by award-winning writer Anders Lustgarten will return after seven years to delve into the themes of radicalisation and Islamophobia – using the setting of a school to showcase the personal impact the Prevent programme has on young people.
Shukri Hassan, 26, who stars as Suhayla in Extremism said the play is important in promoting conversations between Muslims and non-Muslims about the implications of the counter-terrorism strategy.
She added the play explores the competing themes of safeguarding and surveillance, where sometimes the lines between the two are not apparent.
“It’s quite normal for Muslim women to wake up one day and start wearing the headscarf. It’s a decision Muslim women take upon themselves,” she said.
“But when you start going into schools and institutions, you see how teachers may not fully comprehend that, so they can start thinking about other reasons why a student may decide to wear a headscarf.”
The production highlights the conversations between students after their peer, Jamal, is removed by police officers.
Hassan said: “After Jamal’s departure, there is a complete change in the atmosphere of the class.”
She added the students, aged between 16 and 17, begin having difficult conversations without a responsible adult who can give them answers.
The classroom consists of 10 students from 10 different backgrounds, which Hassan said reflects the diversity found across society.
The actress said her character — an outspoken and expressive hijabi — becomes the only Muslim left in the class and starts feeling targeted by her peers. However, she begins challenging their perceptions of Muslims, highlighting that some classmates are very welcoming and open to others, while some echo the hatred fed to them by adults.
Hassan said the play explores the themes of Prevent, radicalisation and how it can lead to Islamophobia.
She continued: “The play is relevant today because of the politics we see in the UK and globally. Islamophobia has been on the rise in the last few years. It’s a play that directly questions identity and belonging.”
The Prevent programme is a statutory requirement designed as an early-intervention initiative against radicalisation and terrorism. Public bodies, including schools and the NHS, have a legal responsibility to implement the Prevent duty.
However, Hassan said it can sometimes be used as a tool of power that isolates Muslim students and makes them feel picked on.
Extremism will run from 29 September to 2 October at the Cockpit Theatre.
Featured image credit: Brandon Bishop photography/ Limitless presents
Join the discussion