This woman’s reaction to learning Jihadi John is her neighbour is important

The woman in this recording learned today that Jihadi John is reportedly a member of a family she knows in her neighbourhood.

Natasha John, 25, heard that the ISIS terrorist, who murdered James Foley, Steven Sotloff, David Haines, Alan Henning and Kenji Goto, had been named as 26-year-old Mohammed Emwazi.

Emwazi lived with his mother, father, brother and two sisters at this house in Queen’s Park, west London after moving to England from Kuwait when he was six.

Ms John, who is also a Muslim, says firmly that the family would never ‘have allowed that sort of stuff in that house’.

But while many neighbours expressed their shock at learning their neighbour was a terrorist – this young mother, who works as a youth worker for the council, took a different view.

She sees the revelation through the eyes of someone who has suffered prejudice.

She rejected there being any kind of jihadist behaviour in the area. She quite bluntly denied there being any ‘issues’ with her neighbourhood.

Instead she pointed the finger at the British Government for stirring up hatred for Muslims.

Ms John told Sources

‘There’s no jihad around here. Jihad is what the Government invented. Everyone lives in peace and love. If it’s not black people they are discriminating it’s the Muslims. That is what they do.

‘Anyone that is the majority they try to convince them that they are the minority and keep them down, so they are not strong. All this is for publicity to discriminate the Muslims so people like you and everyone else hates Muslims.’

‘The Government is the one that is hurting us. That’s the truth.’

Most do not share her sentiment. But whether or not you agree with her view what is important about Ms John’s reaction to the ‘unmasking’ of Jihadi John is this is what many people in her community believe.

And Ms John’s sentiments echo the reactions of many Muslims following the Chapel Hill shooting, with some accusing commentators of ‘double-standards’ for not calling Craig Stephen Hicks a ‘terrorist’ or recognising perceived prejudice and extremism directed towards the Muslim community.

Ms John denies anger towards the police, media and government in the recording, but does express frustration at what she calls ‘discrimination’ and hatred towards minorities.

In listening to this, perhaps we can begin to understand why some take this several steps further and take extreme action in trying to solve these issues themselves.

Perhaps then we can help resolve them before more young Britons walk blindly down the wrong path.

Ms John did not want to be pictured in the piece.