A standoff between Whitehall and Britain's largest Muslim group ended last night when the government lifted the suspension of formal relations with the Muslim Council of Britain.
John Denham, the
communities secretary, said the MCB would now be able to contribute to an "ongoing dialogue" with the government, after giving categorical assurances of its opposition to antisemitism and other forms of racism.
The government broke off relations last year after the MCB's deputy general secretary, Dr Daud Abdullah, signed a declaration in Istanbul drawn up at the Global Anti-Aggression conference. This called for a jihad in response to the Israeli assault on Gaza and endorsed a call by Hamas for attacks on foreign troops, including possibly British troops, if they tried to intercept arms smuggled into Gaza.
Hazel Blears, the communities secretary at the time, called for the removal of Abdullah from the MCB when she announced the suspension in March. Blears wrote to the MCB saying Abdullah should be asked to resign for signing a statement that supported Hamas and celebrated its "victory" against "this malicious Jewish Zionist war over Gaza".
Abdullah said last year he would not be standing down.
"I did not and do not condone calls for attacks on British troops," he said. "The British government has not deployed troops to the territorial waters of Gaza and I do not believe it or our parliament would endorse any breach of international law. Any discussions about what should or would happen is hypothetical and I cannot speculate."
Denham said the government had decided to end the suspension after the MCB gave assurances that it would examine its internal processes to ensure there would be no repeat of its involvement in the Istanbul declaration.
Denham's department said: "The MCB has stated its categorical opposition to attacks on British defence interests and confirmed its unwavering support for British troops across the world. It has also made clear that it stands firmly against antisemitism and other forms of racism.
"The significance of these actions on the part of the MCB has led to the government lifting the suspension of its formal relationship with that organisation. The MCB will now contribute to ongoing dialogue with government as one among a wide range of Muslim organisations. We will closely monitor how the internal processes progress over the coming months."
But the government admitted that Abdullah had declined to disavow the Istanbul declaration.
"The MCB … have made clear to us that Daud Abdullah signed the statement in question in a personal capacity.
"We still have concerns about the uncertainty of Daud Abdullah's personal position on this issue. Until he is able to provide the clarification that we have always been seeking we will not be engaging with him."
Denham ended the suspension after Dr Muhammad Abdul Bari, the MCB's secretary general, wrote to Denham yesterday to say that the protocols for office holders at international conferences would be addressed.
A spokesman said: "The MCB restated its longstanding commitment to work with all faith communities, and to speak out against all forms of racism and antisemitism. It also affirmed its deeply held belief that speaking out against the actions of Israel does not mean supporting attacks on Jewish communities around the world. The Muslim Council of Britain also outlined unwavering support for British troops. If there is any objection to be had, it would be directed to the leaders who send them in harm's way."
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