Move comes after body refuses to sack senior member over statements urging Muslims to resist Israeli military
The government has suspended ties with Britain's largest Muslim group and demanded that one of its leaders should be removed from office for allegedly supporting violence against Israel.
The news comes on the eve of the launch of a major government strategy aimed at fostering closer ties with Muslims to help counter the threat of Islamist terrorism.
The launch tomorrow of Contest 2, the government's revised counter-terrorism strategy, comes after ministers decided to stop engaging with the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB).
The council's deputy secretary-general, Daud Abdullah, signed a declaration last month that the government and critics of the MCB have interpreted as calling for violence against Israel and condoning attacks on British troops.
The declaration followed a meeting in Istanbul of clerics and other Muslim leaders from around the world to discuss strategy after Israel's attacks on Gaza...
Read more @ The Guardian
Read more @ The Guardian CIF
"For too long, we have been a passively tolerant society, saying to our citizens 'as long as you obey the law, we will leave you alone'" - David Cameron, UK Prime Minister. 13 May 2015.
Daud Abdullah's response to Hazel Blears and her smear campaign:
"For too long, we have been a passively tolerant society, saying to our citizens 'as long as you obey the law, we will leave you alone'" - David Cameron, UK Prime Minister. 13 May 2015.
its long and its boring, but it draws the battle lines over what to think, what to do and what is aceptable.
I see all this grandstanding by Hazel Blears are cynical electioneering so that she can go and say "Look we stood up and fought those mozlems, so don't vote the tories!" and not based on principles or morals.
It is amazing that just a few short years ago most people were calling MCB stooges.
"For too long, we have been a passively tolerant society, saying to our citizens 'as long as you obey the law, we will leave you alone'" - David Cameron, UK Prime Minister. 13 May 2015.
They were/are.
I think the government are now regretting 'putting all their eggs in one basket' so-to-speak. They thought that close ties with the MCB (I mean as an organisation, not anyone in particular) would gain them 'kudos' with the Muslim community at large - and the MCB thought that close ties with government would give them more exposure in return.
The government were wrong because the MCB aren't elected by any Muslims, nor to they represent a cross-section of British Muslims. The Muslim population in Britian is, on the whole, very young in comparision with society at large. Also, there are plenty of women. The MCB is a bunch of old men. This demonstrated EXACTLY how out-of-touch the government were/are with the Muslim community.
While the MCB were right, in terms of being the only group of Muslim who don't openly cause death and destruction to ever be interviewed on news/current afairs programs, the damage they DID cause to themselves in criticism from within the Muslim community - being accused of 'selling-out', of being 'out-of-touch', of being 'ill-informed' and of being 'boring beyond belief', made them nothing short of a laughing-stock.
This move suits both parties, to be honest. The MCB gain a bit of street-cred by 'standing up to the government'; they are also freer to speak openly about things like Israel in the future. The government can launce their new anti-terror bill by saying things like 'tough on Muslims, tough on the causes of Muslims', and it also gives them a clean slate to (in the future) find a new group to have as their 'link' with the Muslim community. They now know a lot more about the different parties to choose from (or at least they should), so can pick a group that actually IS representative of the average Joheir on the street. Either that, or make another balls-up.
It seems like a case of burning bridges form both sides of the river.
Don't just do something! Stand there.
Go Daod Abdullah, maybe he can be the next personality of the year!
“Before death takes away what you are given, give away whatever there is to give.”
Mawlana Jalal ud Din Rumi
He also has to.. do something. And if its just about signing a document, the PM of turkey did more than that - he actually shouted and condemned and walked out (potentially for his own political purposes instead of principle).
"For too long, we have been a passively tolerant society, saying to our citizens 'as long as you obey the law, we will leave you alone'" - David Cameron, UK Prime Minister. 13 May 2015.