Islamist Civic Capture in Local Institutions

Local activist networks with Islamist links can gradually influence municipal decisions, policing actions, and civic institutions by coordinated pressure on councils, charities and police, producing policy effects (bans, curriculum changes, event denials) without resorting to violence. Left unchecked, this produces local norms that prioritize community sensitivities over nationally held liberal norms and due process. — If true, municipal governance, policing accountability, and integration policy need new safeguards to preserve liberal norms and prevent small‑scale capture that scales through institutional erosion.