The so-called policy of government non-engagement with the Muslim Council of Britain is once again being pushed by bad-faith actors in legacy media, despite Freedom of Information (FOI) requests confirming that no such policy appears to exist in writing at any government department approached.
A spokesperson for the Muslim Council of Britain said:
“This so-called policy of non-engagement is a historic relic. It was built to appease those who trade in Islamophobia, and it survives only by recycling decades-old allegations that have never withstood scrutiny.
Ministers know it. The current Prime Minister, the current Defence Secretary and the current Equalities Minister are amongst many who have engaged with the MCB over the years, because they would rather speak directly to British Muslim communities through trusted partners than through self-appointed interlocutors.
This policy does not even exist on paper. Asked through Freedom of Information requests, every department approached has confirmed it holds no document, no briefing, nothing in writing that justifies it. A policy never written down is just an excuse. This policy can’t be defended. The only question is how much longer the Government intends to pretend otherwise.”
Notes to Editors
- Copies of the FOI responses available upon request.
- Bad-faith actors claim that the UK Government has boycotted the MCB “since 2009” following its “support for attacks on the Royal Navy” is embarrassingly false. The Labour government itself accepted as much in January 2010, re-engaging with the MCB on that basis, and Liberal Democrat ministers continued that engagement in government too.
- The MCB supported the appointment of the military’s first Muslim Chaplain in 2005, and in 2009 published its own report, ‘Remembering the Brave’, documenting the Muslim contribution to Britain’s Armed Forces across both World Wars. In July 2010, MCB leadership also joined HRH The Prince of Wales in France, to honour Commonwealth soldiers of the First World War.
- Media outlets like the BBC have previously been forced to pay substantial damages for libellous claims against the MCB in regards to the above.
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