British effort to ID potential radicals spurs profiling debate

On both occasions, the boy — struggling with his studies after his parents separated and socially withdrawn because of a degenerative eye disease that blurred his vision — refused to participate in sessions intended to keep him from becoming radicalized.

[...] encouraging fellow citizens to identify potential radicals has also raised questions about racial and religious profiling and the balance between security and civil liberties, igniting a debate here over whether Prevent holds the risk of further alienating Muslims in Britain.

In October, he was sentenced for inciting terrorism overseas and became, at 15, the youngest person to get a life sentence in Britain in a terrorism case.

The Prevent program, started by Prime Minister Tony Blair in the aftermath of the July 7, 2005, London bombings, encourages and in some cases requires Britons to watch for signs of radicalization in their communities and to alert the authorities about people who could become risks, before they turn violent.

Last year, Prime Minister David Cameron’s government expanded the program’s scope, making it a legal duty for schools, hospitals, local governments, social services and prisons to flag extremist behavior with the authorities.