Britain's most powerful Islamic organisation was accused last night of failing mainstream Muslim Britain after it complained of a 'pro-Israel agenda' at the BBC in a Panorama programme on the faith to be aired next week.
In an extraordinary letter obtained by The Observer, the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) has told director general Mark Thompson that the Panorama investigation of organisations representing Muslims in Britain, will 'inflame mistrust'.
And 'inflame mistrust' it should, given so called moderate Muslim groups here and in America, links to terrorism and radical Islam. These groups are nothing but a cover for their agenda to turn Britain and America, indeed the whole world, into an Islamic state.
A separate Observer investigation into the group has revealed its roots in the extremist politics of Pakistan. Its secretary general, Sir Iqbal Sacranie, and media spokesman Inayat Bunglawala have both expressed admiration for the late Maulana Maududi, founder of the radical Jamaat-i-Islami party, which campaigns non-violently for an Islamic state in Pakistan.
Maududi, a prominent figure in the 20th century Islamic revivalist movement, was a virulent anti-feminist who believed Muslims should struggle to rid their countries of Western influences. The Islamic Foundation, an affiliate of the MCB with close and influential links to the government, was founded by Khurshid Ahmad, a prominent member of the Jamaat-i-Islami.
A second affiliate, the strictly orthodox Jamiat Ahl-i-Hadith, based in Birmingham, practises a form of Islam which demands strict separatism from mainstream society. Its website describes the ways of 'disbelievers' as 'based on sick and deviant views concerning their societies, the universe and their very existence'.
The article also points out Sacranie's involvement with Palestinian terrorists.
The BBC programme is thought to be highly critical of some MCB affiliates for their links to extremist Islamic ideology. Panorama, reporter John Ware is thought to challenge Sacranie over his boycott of this year's Holocaust Memorial Day, his attendance at a memorial service for Hamas leader Sheikh Yassin and his equivocal stance on Palestinian suicide bombers.
It would appear Sacranie doesn't like his and the MCB's terrorist connections and hidden agenda being exposed.
The BBC has not been known for its pro-Israeli stance. In July 2003, Danny Seaman, the Israeli government's head of press, accused it of 'demonising and vilifying' the state of Israel. [The BBC is known for its pro-Palestinian stance however]
Some leading Muslims are also critical. Abdul-Rehman Malik, of the Muslim magazine Q-News, said MCB leaders should clarify its position on suicide bombers. 'You cannot be equivocal about innocent people. An innocent person in Tel Aviv is the same as an innocent person in Baghdad or London.'
Last week, novelist Salman Rushdie, given a death sentence by Ayatollah Khomeini of Iran after the publication of The Satanic Verses, criticised Tony Blair for promoting Sacranie as a moderate voice.
You may recall that Sacranie said of the Rushdie fatwa calling for his death that, "death was too good for him", meaning Rushdie.
So what does Britain do about Sacranie? They give him a knighthood. Charming.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment