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	Integration Minister says we must avoid ghettoisation, writes Shane Phelan<br />
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	The Immigration and Integration Minister believes the radicalisation of young Muslims in Ireland can be avoided by ensuring they feel involved in society.</p>
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	Junior Justice Minister David Stanton said the Government was committed to avoiding any ghettoisation of groups or individuals. Noting that disenfranchisement had been a factor in young men drifting towards groups such as Isil elsewhere in Europe, Mr Stanton said it was essential that proper integration occurs.</p>
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	&quot;It is most important to ensure we work with the Islamic community and other communities here to make sure they feel part of Irish society, they have a stake here and they work with us to ensure we don&#39;t have the type of events here that are happening elsewhere,&quot; he said.</p>
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	&quot;If people feel involved and have a stake in society, they will come forward if they feel anybody out there might be a threat.&quot;</p>
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	Mr Stanton said he was &quot;heartened&quot; by the response of the Muslim community in Ireland any time an atrocity has been committed abroad.</p>
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	&quot;It has condemned out of hand the kind of incidents which happened on the continent,&quot; he said.</p>
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	The minister said while garda&iacute; had a role to play by gathering intelligence, the Government&#39;s approach was much broader based.</p>
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	Under an integration strategy it will review laws on racially motivated crime and strengthen laws against hate speech. Measures are planned to address the under-reporting of racially motivated crimes.</p>
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	Local authorities are to publish policies on racist graffiti in their areas and ensure it is taken down quickly.</p>
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	Mr Stanton said Ireland was &quot;very lucky&quot; it didn&#39;t have any political parties using the migrant issue to promote themselves.</p>
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	&quot;The questions put to me in the D&aacute;il are &#39;can we do more to support asylum seekers and migrants&#39;, rather than the other way that you see in other countries out there,&quot; he said.</p>
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	Mr Stanton said he didn&#39;t believe this situation would change with the arrival of Syrian refugees over the coming years.</p>
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	&quot;The number of refugees we are taking in is very small. It is 4,000 overall. Other countries have taken in multiples of that,&quot; he said.</p>
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	&quot;The response I am seeing from communities is that people are asking what they can do to help,&quot; he said.</p>
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	He said there had been a lot of application for funds from the department&#39;s &euro;500,000 communities integration fund.</p>
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	&quot;The idea is that communities would come up with ideas for integration events and we have had a couple of hundred applications,&quot; he said.</p>
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	(Published by the Irish Independent on the 8th May 2017)</p>
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	<a href="http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/young-muslims-must-be-made-to-feel-part-of-our-society-35690378.html">http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/young-muslims-must-be-made-to-feel-part-of-our-society-35690378.html</a></p>
