Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of links between the reported recent upsurge of jihadist violence in Bangladesh and Zakir Naik’s television channel Peace TV; whether they have discussed with the government of Bangladesh the reasons why it has banned Peace TV broadcasts; whether they have discussed its content with the government of Dubai from where it broadcasts; and whether they have established the veracity of the claims that Zakir Naik has received substantial financial support from sources in the UK to fund his broadcasts.

As with many other countries, Bangladesh has suffered from an increase in violent extremism in recent years. In part this may be motivated by broadcasts and online material of an extremist nature. The British Government has not discussed Peace TV with either the Government of Bangladesh or the Government of Dubai. However, we are in regular dialogue with the Government of Bangladesh about how we can assist and share best practice in combating extremism and in understanding the root causes of why young people in particular are vulnerable to such messaging. In November 2015, the former Prime Minister, my Right Hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), commissioned a review into the funding of Islamist extremism in the UK. The review will improve our understanding of how extremists operating in the UK sustain their activities.