The second myth is that the government only wants to listen to people it agrees with. There is a need for clarity here. Frank and legitimate discussion is the basis of democracy: its absence benefits only those who want to stoke up a sense of grievance and division. The government is ready for debate on issues such as foreign policy. For example, at the start of this year, many groups were deeply concerned about events in Gaza, and pressed the government on its decisions. I welcomed the debate. Needless to say, talking to those groups is not the same as endorsing their particular views. But equally, we will not hesitate to challenge anyone whose condemnation of violent extremism is ambiguous. And there can be no question of ministers sharing platforms with organisations that call for or support violence, because that would confer upon those groups an aura of legitimacy they do not begin to deserve. We have nothing to offer them but vociferous opposition. 

The third myth is perhaps the most pernicious: that violent extremism is the be-all and end-all of the government's dialogue with Muslim communities. Violent extremism is a real and serious challenge, but we must not let the actions of a tiny and totally unrepresentative minority obscure the wider story of people with talent, energy and enthusiasm who want to make a contribution to Britain. Consider recent research by Gallup and the Coexist Foundation, which found that more than three-quarters of British Muslims said that they felt an affinity to the UK, compared to just half of the population as a whole. Look at the Muslim Women Power List, compiled by the Equality and Human Rights Commission. It includes professors, doctors, newsreaders, journalists, politicians, lawyers and entrepreneurs. These are women who are shaping the professions and the communities in which they live and work. Or take the members of the Young Muslims Advisory Group, who have direct access to myself and Cabinet colleagues to talk about how government policies affect their lives. They are brimming with passion and talent and want to be part of the debate about the kind of society we could be. 

The challenge of violent extremism will be with us for years. But when I meet people like these — a new generation, proud to be Muslim, proud to be British — it reinforces my confidence that we can and will overcome it: not divided by the machinations of extremists, but united in our shared values.