From "the gotta scratch your head in wonderment" file

Muslim Council of Britain Spokesman: Still Extreme

Melanie Phillips

As has been pointed out here before, the idea that the Muslim Council of Britain spokesman Inayat Bunglawala is a reformed character who now espouses moderate and liberal attitudes was always risible. Now he himself has helpfully provided fresh evidence that the very opposite is the case. On the Islamist website Islam Online, he has again supported the Muslim Brotherhood religious authority Sheikh Yusuf Qaradawi, who supports human bomb attacks against both Israelis and coalition forces in Iraq, not to mention the execution of homosexuals and other similarly fanatical positions. Bunglawala writes:

It is very unfortunate that Sheikh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi has been barred from visiting the UK since early 2007 by the British government, following pressure from pro-Israeli lobbies. Sheikh Al-Qaradawi is an Islamic scholar who commands huge respect among millions of Muslims worldwide. As a regular past visitor to the UK, he would consistently urge British Muslims to shun all forms of extremism and to focus their energies on ensuring that their children excelled in education. His long experience of dealing with youths influenced by extremist and takfiri ideas (ideas involving accusations of backsliding from Islam) would surely have been a valuable asset in the struggle against Al-Qaeda-inspired propaganda.

In fact, the only extremism Qaradawi has opposed is activity which is tactically counter-productive – such as bomb attacks in Britain – to the goal of Islamizing the West. As Alexander Hitchens observes on the Standpoint blog:

We should be under no illusions here: anyone who still feels that they need to defend or praise this man should be considered, at best, an apologist for murderous antisemitism and Islamic extremism. These people represent a fringe opinion that is slowly, but surely, being defeated by the voice of the (previously) silent majority. As well as having formulated the authoritative fatwa which provided the religious justification for Hamas suicide bombings, Qaradawi recently told viewers of al-Jazeera that his only regret about the Holocaust is that it wasn't done at the hands of ‘the believers’:

“Throughout history, Allah has imposed upon the [Jews] people who would punish them for their corruption. The last punishment was carried out by Hitler. By means of all the things he did to them - even though they exaggerated this issue - he managed to put them in their place. This was divine punishment for them. Allah willing, the next time will be at the hand of the believers.”

The disturbing fact is that, after a short period out in the cold during the tenure as Communities Secretary of Hazel Blears – one of the few politicians who understands what is at stake here – the MCB has now been brought back into the counsels of Whitehall through the patronage of the current Communities Secretary John Denham and the Justice Secretary Jack Straw. As Hitchens observes of Bunglawala:

Here we have a Muslim who excuses and praises an Islamist Holocaust promoter, and still finds himself in a position where he may yet act as an advisor to the government on extremism.

This is presumably what the government means when it invites us to admire its “anti-racist” credentials.

Contributor Melanie Phillips is the author of the powerful and frightening "Londonistan" which can be purchased here, and she blogs at The Spectator.
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