Home Secretary Sajid Javid has spoken out against those who are looking to share false ‘propaganda’ and ‘false information’ about the Prevent Strategy.

That might explain why many Muslims are embarrassed to be associated with it but it does not shed any light as to why there still a huge level of secrecy surrounding it. To suggest we may be taken in by false narratives is a little patronising.

Prevent is the one strand of the Government's multi-pronged national counter-terrorism programme, which is known as Contest and dates back to 2003.

The key aim of the programme, which has an annual budget of around £40 million, is to stop people becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism.

In recent years there have been many charm offensives with regards to Prevent but none of them seem to be working.

And even Sajid Javid admits changing the name won’t make much difference.

Within the Muslim community this has much to do with our perceptions of the programme.

Almost immediately today we will have those organisations and individuals who the government does not liaise with or has found to be a little too ‘extreme’ for their liking coming out and criticising the strategy.

And we will have another group out in force backing the Home Secretary for his ‘honest’ comments. I have found both equally wanting as they simply will wish to preach to the converted.

Anything which deviates from this narrative tends to be an admission that maybe one was incorrect in their initial analysis. This has to change.

There is and never will be a middle ground on this and until the likes of Sajid Javid and his advisers realise this, we will be here in another 12 months with another politician trying to sell us the strategy in another guise. I have learnt much of this has got to do with our hatred of each other rather than what is being said and what is being done at grassroots level.

You cannot have a debate about this without being grouped into one set or the other.

We are quickly going to discount the whole programme because we sense it is being used to target Muslims.

Even if, and this cannot be discounted, at times it has had positive effects. It has also targeted those with right-wing views.

There is evidence of this. We are also not too keen to look beyond the basic wide ranging features of the Prevent programme and how it affects young Muslims.

You cannot turn a blind eye to the fact that we have issues that can’t be solved without the support of the authorities.

We have individuals and groups who think that we and only we are able to dictate how and what the Muslim community requires.

Sadly, from past experience when we are given this vote of confidence we soon descend into petty squabbles about who received what money and when.

To say this does not make you a sell-out. Or that you have in some way been taken in by the repeated efforts to sell us Prevent.

There are also elements of Prevent at grassroots level that look to alienate young Muslims. Would I say it is tantamount to ‘spying’ or helping to perpetuate myths about Muslims? Yes, it does in some cases.

As an example I have spoken to several parents who are almost paranoid of their child going to school having drawn a picture of a gun. Is this the society we live in?

At the same time what we find equally perplexing are those who have clearly benefited from their cosy relationship with the powers that be and are not willing to take any criticism of the programme and strategy on board.

What many of us find almost frustrating is when ‘Muslim’ spokespersons and commentators make more noise than non-Muslims whenever there is any discussion on this issue even when their analysis might not be correct .

Clearly, Prevent has not worked when it comes to engaging with the Muslim community and just by us raising these issues does not mean we should be ostracised.

We are not too keen to be told that we are ‘Islamists’ every time we raise something you don’t agree with.

There is also still the level of secrecy when it comes to telling people that you are hosting a Prevent funded programme.

The Home Secretary has today spoken out about myth busting and trying to look past what a programme can achieve.

If real change is required then maybe reach out to more people at grassroots level and not be put off by the familiar voices.

It is time he and his department put this into action or just realise you can't sell something to someone who does not want it.