Professor Alan Johnson, who interviewed former extremists for two years for the British government, said one of the main drivers of radicalisation​ was the "identity crisis" suffered by many western-born Muslims who feel they have to choose between being either Muslim or British, or Muslim or Australian.

He said it was crucial for governments to convey the idea that being Australian and Muslim was not contradictory – and the Australian government's proposal to revoke citizenship for those convicted of terrorism and other offences only "puts question marks over that".

"The message is completely counter-productive," he said. "While it's understandable as response, it would not be advisable."

Professor Johnson, a senior research fellow at the Britain Israel Communications and Research Centre, warned against taking a law enforcement-heavy approach and said there should be substantial investment in young moderate voices rising within the Muslim community.

In Britain, several "new wave" Muslim voices have emerged through organisations such as Inspire, Quilliam and British Muslims for Secular Democracy.

He said such organisations have come about through a "quiet revolution" among young Muslim professionals who were fed up with the current situation. They have been promised greater support in the five-year plan to tackle extremism unveiled by UK Prime Minister David Cameron on Monday.

"At the moment they're small but carry with them the seed of the future," said Professor Johnson.

However, few such voices exist in Australia. Belmore GP and community leader Jamal Rifi​ said he neared the point of exhaustion last year because he often felt like the only person speaking up on community issues.

He said the environment in Australia was so "intense" that no young Muslim Australians were stepping up to the plate.

"The pressure is too high," he said. "Any young person who is going to come in needs to have the skill, the stamina, the credibility and they need to be able to stand from the pressure from within the community and from outside."

"When I made the decision that I needed to slow down, I spoke with young people and I didn't want any of them to go through what I had. I received death threats, I still get hate mail. It is an intense climate."

He said the community was losing faith in the government because their response was too geared towards security at the expense of liberty.

"We can cope with so much [law enforcement] but if you don't see a light at the end of the tunnel and all that the government wants to do is use the heavy-handed approach for political gain, we ... start to lose faith."

A spokeswoman for Immigration Minister Peter Dutton said plans to strip dual citizenship from terrorists have "nothing to do with a person's background, race or religion".

"These proposed changes ... are aimed at Australians with dual citizenship who betray their allegiance to Australia and are involved in terrorism activities," she said.

A spokeswoman for the Attorney General's Department said the government has tripled investment in community programs from $3 million per year to $40 million over four years. In contrast, spending on security measures was increased by $1.2 billion in the last budget.

"We know that strategies to counter the threat of online radicalisation requires more than just legislative and law enforcement measures. Early intervention plays a vital role in our
counter-terrorism strategy," she said.