The failures of a succession of governments in the UK to deal with difficult cultural and religious issues have bred communities that have moved away from the mainstream.

The Islamophobia that spread rapidly after the 9/11 and 7/7 attacks pushed many Muslims on the fringes to go underground with their beliefs, shunning the democratic and secular laws of the land.

Disenfranchised young men and women and numbers of families have questioned the West's morality in what they see as a genocidal program to rid Muslims from certain areas of the globe, the impact of this belief leading to major terrorist attacks. Having bred this dangerous animal, the current UK government has set about eliminating the problem in a unique and controversial manner—art therapy for Muslim prisoners.

This approach, however, is a mockery to the injustices carried out by civilians who aren't brought to justice and who have inadvertently created their own courts of law, rolling out sentences in the name of Islam.

The irony that the Ministry of Justice is seeking ways to 'de-program' Muslim prisoners through art therapy seems like futile exercise in the face of a small but significant and growing number of Muslims living in the UK, who have  been taking the law into their own hands in order to punish offenders of Islamic tenets.

Whilst the Ministry of Justice looks to work their program, the government has continuously turned a blind eye to cries from community groups altering authorities of unlawful acts of punishments and cruelty meted out to mostly women living within Muslim communities.

Daily, we hear of cases wherein households have taken the Islamic Sharia laws into their own hands; women suspected of 'deviant' sexuality, adultery, and debauchery are routinely subjected to kangaroo courts set up by imams and extended families. Punishments are harsh and varied and include things such as being locked in a dark room without food or water for a set period of time, or being lashed before a group of witnesses. And, of course, there are the ballooning instances of honor killings across all religions.

Although a small class, the Muslim prison population—extremist and otherwise—seem to have and be a captive audience. The routine conversion of prisoners into extremist Islamic ideology is what has prompted the government to act swiftly and adopt debatable programs that have been used in the U.S. to deal with dangerous religious cults.

Seen by many as a 'softly, softly' approach, this strategy has a certain paradox, given the stance of the orthodox teaching in Islam on any form of art other than non-figurative. I can't help feeling that the program is set to fail for this very reason. Perhaps the Extremism Unit that's spearheading it hasn't been fully briefed and, therefore, has failed to recognize a major flaw in its mission.

The 'nanny' approach to dealing with lawlessness has led to a substantial augmentation in the prison population. With that, the percentage of prisoners of the Muslim faith has also increased. Coupled with the imprisonment of extremists, the ground is rife for any soft touch that can be easily converted. There is anecdotal evidence that prisoners are being coerced into conversion even though Islam clearly states that no individual should be compelled.

Psychologists using art therapy to cure hardcore, category 'A' jihadist prisoners are taking a desperate approach; however, the Extremism Unit argues that the art therapy forms a part of the overall agenda to bring these (primarily) young men over to its side. And the planned use of 'cognitive- behavior' methods can only work if recipients are willing participants.

Alienated British Muslim youth seemingly have no fear of prison; it's now very cool to be a Muslim prisoner in the UK. Can art really soften and change these individuals? It appears, to me, a doomed attempt in the face of preserving liberty and artistic freedom, elements that extremist Islam, and many other religions, simply don't abide.