In response to the allegations against Imam Ghani by Prime Minister David Cameron during PMQs at the House of Commons, Dr Shuja Shafi, MCB Secretary General, said:
“As a result of these smears, we understand that Imam Ghani has been subject to abuse and threats on his life. Imam Ghani became the innocent casualty of a wider Islamophobic attack on the now Mayor of London and the Conservative Party needs to apologise for this too.
“Such smear-by-association has become all too common for Muslims and Muslim organisations. It is a cancer blighting sections of our political and media class and has infected the solemn business of government.
“For the real extremists we are all opposed to, such tactics will only provide fresh new examples of a society not willing to accept Muslims for who they are.
“I also call for an urgent review of Islamophobia in the Conservative Party. Just as the Labour Party is rightly conducting an inquiry into anti-Semitism, it is important for the Conservative Party to reflect upon the extent of Islamophobia in its own ranks. We should have zero tolerance for both anti-Semitism and Islamophobia.
“We urge the Conservative Party to reflect and learn from this disreputable period of campaigning so that we can all draw a line and move on.”