19th January 2015
Following a letter sent to mosque imams yesterday (Sunday 18 January), the Muslim Council of Britain has written to Communities Secretary Eric Pickles seeking further clarification. Writing to Mr Pickles, Dr Shuja Shafi, Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Britain “We feel your letter to Muslims, at this critical time, could have been worded differently.”
“This week Muslims have experienced heightened tension when Mosques and Muslim institutions have been attacked and sent hate mail. Faith communities – Muslim, Jewish, Christian and others, are all playing their part in pushing back on this and fostering unity and hope across communities. ”
I take the point that your letter was written in good faith, and I agree with your assertion that British values are indeed Islamic values. However, we do take issue with the insinuation that extremism takes place at mosques, and that Muslims have not done enough to challenge the terrorism that took place in our name.
This is why we responded to the media, and an assertion in some quarters that you were somehow endorsing the idea that Muslims and Islam are inherently apart from British society. We reject such notions.
We also reject suggestions that Muslims must go out of their way to prove their loyalty to this country of ours.
That is why I applaud your response and that of our Home Secretary when Mr Nigel Farage suggested that multiculturalism was to blame for terrorism and that there was a fifth column in this country. ”
See the full letter.