Muslim jail chaplains 'distributing Islamist literature', leaked report reveals

Extremist literature has been routinely distributed in prisons by Muslim chaplains, a leaked report has revealed.

The review, commissioned by Justice Secretary Michael Gove, found Islamist pamphlets and CDs in more than 10 jails in November, according to The Times (£).

The material included homophobic and misogynistic sentiments and encouraged the murder of apostates - Muslims who leave or reject the religion.

The material was kept on bookshelves in prison chaplaincy rooms available for anyone to pick up, the report said.

The report, not yet cleared for publication, concluded that many Muslim chaplains were under-equipped for counter-radicalisation work because "sometimes because they lacked the capability but often because they didn't have the will".

Prisoners at more than one jail were encouraged by chaplains to fund-raise for charities that had links to terrorism, according to the report.

It warned that lax controls and senior level failings allowed the problems to occur.

Muslims make up 4.8% of the population but 14.5% of prisoners.

At the start of 2016, there were 12, 328 Muslim inmates in jails in England and Wales and over 1,000 were deemed vulnerable to radicalisation, The Times said.