| Feature Item |
| A Week in the Life of MCBs Media Committee Mon 07 Jun 2004 |
'We are aiming to build the MCBs Media Committee into a first rate team worthy of the British Muslim community and its aspirations.'
Inayat Bunglawala, Secretary, MCB Media Committe
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Most, if not all Muslims, will recognise the importance of constructively engaging with the mainstream media. The MCBs Media Committee works tirelessly to ensure that the reasoned voice of British Muslims is heard on issues ranging from asylum to health to education and of course foreign policy, to mention but a few. The MCB has become the most sought after voice on issues concerning British Muslims and Islam. Below, we provide a one week snapshot of the diverse array of articles in which the MCBs views have been sought and the exposure that British Muslims now enjoy.
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Church leaders back royal wedding by Ruth Gledhill and Glen Owen
The Times 4 June 2004
A marriage would also have the support of Britain's Muslim community. Iqbal Sacranie, secretary-general of the Muslim Council of Britain, said: "The Prince of Wales is liked in the Muslim community as a result of his desire to be the defender of faith rather than the faith. A marriage would be looked on favourably, as would anything that would bring him happiness."
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Community election plea to thwart far right Islamic electorate by Roger Blitz and Jimmy Burns
Financial Times 4 June 2004
Muslim leaders have urged the Islamic community to register a high turnout at next Thursday's elections to reduce the chances of success for far-right parties.
Iqbal Sacranie, secretary-general of the Muslim Council of Britain, said in an open letter that with the British National party bidding for seats on the London assembly and the European parliament, it was the duty of Muslim electors to make it more difficult for them to succeedÂ…..
Labour, which used to be able to rely on the 1.6m British Muslims for support, now faces a backlash over Iraq. Inayat Bunglawala of the MCB said next Thursday was becoming "a referendum on the Iraq issue", with the Liberal Democrats poised to benefit from Muslim disaffection with LabourÂ…..
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BNP poll warning.
Evening Mail 3 June 2004
MUSLIMS are being urged to use their votes in the local and European elections to stop the threat from the far right, it was reported today.
The Muslim Council of Britain has penned an open letter warning of BNP success in the event of a low turnout on June 10.
The group claims a BNP party political broadcast last week was threatening and anti-Muslim, although the party insists it was not.
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Muslims urged to block far right vote.
Coventry Evening Telegraph3 June 2004
MUSLIMS are being urged to use their votes in the local and European elections to stop the threat from the far right. The Muslim Council of Britain has issued an open letter warning of BNP success in the event of a low turnout on June 10, the BBC saysÂ….
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Muslims made to feel like an enemy within by Islamophobic attitudes, report concludes by Nigel Morris
The Independent 3 June 2004
The Muslim Council of Britain accused the Government of having done little to improve life for British Muslims since the commission's first report in 1997: "We strongly feel the Government has done little to discharge its responsibilities under international law to protect its Muslim citizens and residents from discrimination, vilification, harassment, and deprivation," it said.
Iqbal Sacranie, the council's secretary general, cited a 41 per cent increase in stop and search operations against Muslims. He said: "We have been witnessing a relentless increase in hostility towards Islam."
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The rising tide of Islamophobia in Britain
The Independent 3 June 2004
Despite the efforts of organisations such as the Muslim Council of Britain, the message is not getting across that, while Osama bin Laden and his acolytes may consider themselves devout Muslims, there is nothing Islamic about the carnage they have caused. Britain's Muslims know this to be true, and it is high time everyone else accepted it too.
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Islamophobia widespread in Britain: Report
Hindustan Times 3 June 2004
The Muslim Council of Britain (MCB), which was among those to submit its opinion to the commission, said "very little progress" had been made to tackle Islamophobia. Secretary-general Iqbal Sacranie said: "We have been witnessing a relentless increase in hostility towards Islam and British Muslims, and it is clear that existing race relations bodies have been either unable or unwilling to combat this phenomenon effectively." "Islamophobia is becoming institutionalised," he added.
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Unchecked UK Islamophobia Could Lead To Backlash
Dow Jones International News 2 June 2004
The Muslim Council of Britain, which submitted an opinion to the commission, said that "very little progress has been made in tackling the horror of Islamophobia in the United Kingdom."
"... We strongly feel that the government has done little to discharge its responsibilities under international law to protect its Muslim citizens and residents from discrimination, vilification, harassment, and deprivation."
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Think-tank report warns of institutional Islamophobia in Britain
Xinhua News Agency 2 June 2004
The Muslim Council of Britain (MCB), which was among those to submit its opinion to the commission, said that "very little progress" had been made in tackling Islamophobia since the 1997 report.
MCB Secretary General Iqbal Sacranie cited a 41-percent hike in "stop and search" operations on Asians by Metropolitan police and a "virulently anti-Muslim" televised party political broadcast by the far-right British National Party as examples of the government 's failure to tackle racism. "Islamophobia is becoming institutionalized" in Britain, he said.
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Secret Whitehall plan to win over Muslim youth: Islamic leaders sceptical about scheme to discourage support for al-Qaida by vetting radical imams and assisting moderates by Hugh Muir
The Guardian 31 May 2004
But Muslim leaders criticised the plan yesterday. The secretary general of the Muslim Council of Britain, Iqbal Sacranie, said: "Taxpayers' money is better spent addressing the root problems that affect the community, such as education, employment, equality and political and social inclusion
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Comment & Analysis: The love Labour lost: War, wages, housing, education - on every issue that matters, British Muslims feel betrayed by the government by Hugh Muir
The Guardian 31 May 2004
In 2001, when post-9/11 tension was at its highest, one of the government's most valuable allies was the Muslim Council of Britain. It is therefore instructive to note the council's current view that British Muslims have been ill-served. It says: "Whilst we recognise the adverse impact of international politics on the perception of Islam generally and Muslims living in the UK, we strongly feel that the government has done little to discharge its responsibilities under international law to protect its Muslim citizens and residents from discrimination, vilification, harassment and deprivation."
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British hostility to Muslims 'could trigger riots' by Jamie Doward and Gaby Hinsliff
The Observer 30 May 2004
Sadiq Khan, chair of the Muslim Council of Britain's legal affairs committee, told the commission, which was launched by Jack Straw in 1997, that recent changes in the law had also played a part.
'Laws such as the Terrorism Act 2000 and the Anti-Terrorism Crime Security Act 2001 have helped to create a climate of fear,' he said. 'They have led to the internment in the UK of Muslim men, respectable char ities having their funds seized, and charities suffering because Muslims are reluctant to donate for fear of being accused of funding "terrorists".'
Â…Inayat Bunglawala, of the Muslim Council of Britain, is quoted in the report as saying: 'There are over 800 mosques in the UK and only one is run by a known radical. Yet this one mosque seems to get more coverage that all the rest put together.'
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Hooked at Last by Brian Brady.
Scotland on Sunday 30 May 2004
"The suspicion must be that our government didn't really have much to go on and this is a get-out for them," said Inayat Bungawala, spokesman for the Muslim Council of Great Britain (MCGB). He is hugely sceptical of the clandestine manoeuvres that have pushed Hamza to this point. "That would be dangerous," he told Scotland on Sunday, "no matter what Abu Hamza stands for. It will be a problem if the feeling is left in the Muslim community that people can be hounded out of the country for just holding opinions different from what the majority of the public believes."
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Britain's secret plans to win Muslim hearts and minds by Robert Winnett and David Leppard
The Sunday Times 30 May 2004
The day after the seizure of bomb-making material in London last March, the Muslim Council of Britain, an umbrella group of about 400 moderate organisations, wrote to all Islamic clerics and community leaders urging them to co-operate with police in the fight against "any criminal activity including (the) terrorist threat".
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A community under siege
The Hindu30 May 2004
"The problem is that the media plays up only the extremists voices and ignores the overwhelming majority of moderate voices," said a spokesman of the Muslim Council of Britain which recently sent out a letter to all the Imams across Britain telling them to look out for "mischievous or criminal elements" in their congregations and report them to the police.
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Hamza arrested by Karen McVeigh.
The Scotsman 28 May 2004
Hamza became well-known for his defiant anti-West views after campaigns by several tabloid newspapers for him to be deported. His infamous comments include praise for Osama bin Laden and defence of the 11 September attacks. Muslim groups, including the Muslim Council of Britain, have distanced themselves from him. However, last night a spokesman denounced his "trial by media". Iqbal Sacrane, of the MCB, said: "It is not right for the Americans coming out with charges even before he is in court. He has a right to a fair trial."
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| Events are listed by the Muslim Council of Britain (the "MCB") at its discretion. The views of any organisation holding an event or any speakers at such an event are theirs alone and not those of the MCB. The MCB is not responsible for the content of external sites. The inclusion of any events on the MCB website does not amount to any endorsement by the MCB of such event or of any speakers at such event. |
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