The government has held secret talks with the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) about re-establishing a relationship, nine years after it broke with the group over its alleged links with extremism.
Home Office officials met MCB leaders to “discuss the possibility of Home Office re-engagement”, according to an internal Home Office newsletter this month.
The move is controversial. The MCB, which claims to be the country’s main “national representative Muslim body”, is criticised by Muslim moderates as hardline, not reflecting the community it serves. A 2016 ICM poll found that only 2% of British Muslims saw the MCB as their main route to engage with government on their behalf.
“Government must not fall back into the trap of looking to ‘gatekeeper’ Muslim organisations like the MCB to deliver or represent the views of this diverse community,” said Khalid Mahmood, the Labour MP for Birmingham Perry Barr. [The Times (£)] Read more
