Muslim mothers given web advice

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Harrow Council has provided training

Muslim mothers in north-west London are being offered advice on how to spot the signs that their children are viewing extremist material on the web.

Harrow Council is running an e-safety course advising mothers to look out for signs such as browsers being shut down suddenly and emails sent to strangers.

The one-day course also covers general safety advice on the use of internet messaging and social networking sites.

Thirty mothers have signed up for the course which begins on Monday.

'Hands-on' session

Chris Mote, from Harrow Council, said: "The difficult reality is that children can be 'groomed' online, either by would-be sexual predators or people with extremist views, so we want to promote an honest discussion between children and parents about the internet."

Members of the class, ranging from those in their twenties to those in their sixties, signed up for the course after details were passed through local Madrassahs, the Muslim equivalent of Sunday schools.

If successful, the council plans to run another practical 'hands-on' session for the group, including browsing histories and how files are deleted.

The course is being funded by the government under its preventing violent extremism initiative.