Prince Charles says radicalisation of young people ‘alarming’
8 February 2015 Last updated at 11:34
Out of media player. Press enter to return or tab to continue.
Prince Charles said he was frightened by the way people can be
radicalised online
The Prince of Wales has described the extent to which young people are
becoming radicalised as “alarming” and one of the “greatest worries”.
In an interview with Radio 2’s The Sunday Hour, Prince Charles spoke
of his hopes to “build bridges” between different faiths.
He also spoke of his “deep concern” for the suffering of Christian
churches in the Middle East.
He is currently in Jordan on a six-day tour of the region.
The prince arrived in the capital Amman on Saturday night and is due
to hold talks with King Abdullah II later.
On the radicalisation of young people, Prince Charles says: “Well, of
course, this is one of the greatest worries, I think, and the extent
to which this is happening is the alarming part.
“And particularly in a country like ours where you know the values we hold dear.
The prince is in Jordan at the start of his Middle East tour
“You think that the people who have come here, [are] born here, go to
school here, would imbibe those values and outlooks.”
“The frightening part is that people can be so radicalised either
through contact with somebody else or through the internet, and the
extraordinary amount of crazy stuff which is on the internet.”
He told the BBC programme he believed part of the reason some young
people are radicalised is a “search for adventure and excitement at a
particular age”.
‘Constructive paths’
The prince also discussed the work of his charity The Prince’s Trust
in combating radicalisation.
He said: “What I have been trying to do all these years with the
Prince’s Trust is to find alternatives for adolescents and people at a
young age, for constructive paths for them to channel their
enthusiasm, their energy, that sense of wanting to take risks and
adventure and aggression and all these things.
“But you have to channel them into constructive paths.”
The Radio 2 programme covers visits by the prince to Armenian, Roman
Catholic Chaldean and Syrian Orthodox churches in the UK, and contains
accounts from members of these denominations who have had to flee
persecution in Syria and Iraq.
He said: “I particularly wanted to show solidarity really, deep
concern for what so many of the Eastern Christian churches are going
through in the Middle East.
‘Protector of faiths’
“Christianity was founded in the Middle East which we often forget.
>From a morale point I hope it showed they were not forgotten. I wish I
could do more. Many of us do wish we could do more.
“I think what doesn’t bear thinking about is people of one faith, a
believer, could kill another believer. That’s the totally bewildering
aspect in our day and age.”
The prince has an “extraordinary relationship in the Gulf”, his biographer said
He suggested that when he becomes king, he may still be sworn in as
Defender of the (Christian) Faith. There had been speculation that the
title could be changed to encompass all faiths.
However, he said he believed an important part of the role was to be a
“protector of faiths”, defending every religion in multicultural
Britain.
During the interview, the prince also considered how different
communities could live alongside each other.
He told the programme: “I think the secret is that we have to work
harder to build bridges and we have to remember that our Lord taught
us to love our neighbour, to do to others as you would do to you and
just to go on despite the setbacks and despite the discouragement to
try and build bridges and to show justice and kindness to people.”
‘Activist prince’
The broadcast comes after a new book claiming the prince wants to
redefine the monarchy was published.
The book’s author, Catherine Mayer, said he has an “extraordinary
relationship in the Gulf.”
She added: “It’s partly just because he’s a prince. Also he gave a
speech on Islam in 1993 in which he talked about Islam not having a
monopoly on extremism and he talked about the Christian crusades, and
he talked about the good things in Islam.”
But anti-monarchy group Republic said the prince’s views must be
subject to scrutiny.
Graham Smith, Republic’s CEO, said: “MPs in particular need to face up
to the new reality of an activist prince and must be free to openly
challenge what Charles says.”
* The Sunday Hour was broadcast on BBC Radio 2 on 8 February.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-31199692