(Sunday Telegraph-UK) Nick Timothy - The Muslim Association of Britain (MAB) is one of several organizations declared extremist by Secretary of State for Communities Michael Gove in Parliament last week. Previously, an expert government report called it "the Muslim Brotherhood in the UK." Its concern for civil liberties does not apply to those who criticize Islamism, comment on Islam in ways it dislikes, or depict Mohammed in ways it finds offensive. It is among the organizations pushing for an official definition of "Islamophobia," a one-religion blasphemy law that would be used to limit scrutiny of Islamists. British politicians and those in wider society urgently need to understand who these extremists are, which organizations speak for them, and where their ideas come from. If they fail to do so, not only violence but political subjugation awaits us. Sermons by some imams in British mosques quote the Koran and sayings of Mohammed recorded in hadiths to justify hatred and violence. Many Muslims reject this, citing passages of the Koran that say, "let there be no compulsion in religion." As many moderates and reformers like to argue, there is a scriptural justification for pluralism and tolerance within Islam. According to the expert government review, the Brotherhood "shaped the Islamic Society of Britain, dominated the Muslim Association of Britain and played an important role in establishing and then running the Muslim Council of Britain." Yet the public sector, including the NHS, police and military, partners with these organizations and others like them. The media allows news content to be policed by entities created by them. Many receive direct public funding and the tax advantages of charitable status. This is why it is vital that the Government defines extremism, identifies extremist organizations and shuns, punishes and proscribes them accordingly.
2024-03-19 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive