The Muslim Council of Britain today joined growing calls for the government to rethink its controversial scheme to deport those seeking asylum here in the United Kingdom. The scheme has been halted thanks to a last-minute intervention by the European Court of Human Rights.
Zara Mohammed Secretary-General of the Muslim Council of Britain said:
“This scheme has drawn condemnation across the board. All united in their belief that the scheme runs counter to our values of being welcoming to those in need. We are told that the scheme is supposed to stop the people smugglers. Instead many have warned that this will only embolden these criminals seeking to exploit people willing to take desperate measures. Earlier we raised concerns that this scheme would be discriminatory. That has been borne out by reports that the first deportees would have been those from Muslim countries fleeing persecution. I call on our leaders and those in the media who hold sway to rethink their rhetoric. We should go beyond policies that appeal to the lowest common denominator and uphold our values of celebrating diversity and being welcoming of all.”