.... Now an unrepentant MCB leadership rejoins New Labour's charmed circle of Faith. Some people speculate these unwelcome developments have something to do with the presence of substantial numbers of Muslims in some marginal Labour seats.
Perhaps so. There's also a long-standing belief in sections of the police and the security services that the best way to neutralise extremism is to give money and credibility to people who are only slightly less extreme. Either way, it's a dangerous road they're going down. [Heresy Corner] Read more
The MCB – reality bites, sanity reigns, but problems remain They call it the art of the possible. In any given scenario, a government cannot just wish away imperfections and invent a perfect world. Its first job is to deal with what’s in front of it. Working with British Muslim community groups is no different in that respect. It’s just taken the British government a long time to work it out. [The Samosa] Read more
Labour restores official ties with Muslim Council of Britain despite their refusal to remove deputy accused of supporting Hamas .... But critics accused the Government of capitulating for fear of losing votes at the upcoming General Election.
Tory MP Paul Goodman said: 'It is a surrender to extremism by a bunch of politicians who are scared witless over losing their seat and are prepared to compromise real cohesion and real integration in order to appease an organisation that remains tainted.'
Labour's relationship with the MCB - which acted as a key adviser to Tony Blair in the wake of the July 7 attacks - has lurched between being very close and frosty in recent years. [MailOnline] Read more
Government ties with MCB restored but not for deputy The Government has restored ties with the Muslim Council of Britain, even though its controversial deputy, who was accused of backing calls for attacks on British troops, is still in place.
John Denham, the Communities Secretary, brought the MCB back in to the Whitehall fold after receiving assurances from the organisation that it is "categorically opposed" to such attacks and will ensure all its members actions reflect such a positions and other agreed stances, such as those against anti-Semitism and racism, in the future.
But the department will still have no engagement with the man at the centre of the row, Dr Daud Abdullah, the deputy secretary general of the MCB. [telegraph.co.uk] Read more
