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LONDON: An 11-year-old boy from a Muslim household was referred to a UK authorities anti-extremism program, referred to as Forestall, after telling a pal that he hoped his faculty would burn down.

His mom instructed The Guardian newspaper: “Being a brown, Muslim, Asian boy doesn’t make you a terrorist.”

She admitted that her son’s feedback have been unacceptable however added that they have been “remoted” and the results of stress. The kid is claimed to endure from anxiousness.

An investigation by the boy’s faculty into the incident discovered no proof of any hyperlinks to extremist teams or prior situations of radical rhetoric.

“Forestall steerage locations clear emphasis on appropriateness and proportionality,” his mom mentioned.

The Forestall officer who examined the case determined to not take any additional motion however, as per protocol, the boy’s private data was resulting from be logged for six years in a police counterterrorism database till his mom intervened.

She additionally complained to the varsity, within the north of England, that she had not been knowledgeable concerning the incident or the referral, and is about to obtain an apology.

“I used to be instructed by the Forestall officer that the matter wouldn’t be taken any additional because it regarded like a matter associated to an 11-year-old boy scuffling with faculty,” she mentioned. “My son had change into so sad and confused concerning the calls for positioned on him regarding homework.”

She added that she needed to battle to have her son’s identify faraway from the counterterrorism database, she added.

“I’ve achieved a partial victory as a result of the police have agreed to take away his identify from their database however I’m in search of additional data from his information, that are held by the UK Dwelling Workplace,” she mentioned.

A Dwelling Workplace spokesperson mentioned: “Forestall is a safeguarding program serving to individuals to show away from radicalization. Forestall referral knowledge is barely held quickly by the police, and fogeys or carers can request for it to be deleted sooner, the place acceptable.

“All knowledge is stored fully confidential, aside from the place a severe safety threat emerges. Info and steerage on using, and entry to, the central Forestall referral database is owned by the police and never by the Dwelling Workplace.”