UK targeting Islam not extremism.

UK targeting Islam not extremism, says Muslim News editor

The British government Friday was accused of trying to interfere in the Muslim community on religious matters by announcing controversial plans to fund a board of theologians to prevent Islam being abused by extremists.

Muslim News editor Ahmed Versi said that the government was being "wrong-headed" as other attempts to have control of a state-version of Islam had "no credibility."

"It proves that the whole strategy of the UK government is to target not just Muslims but Islam itself," Versi said. "It is not targeting extremism but the Muslim community, including now on matters of Islam," he warned. Launching a new report on 'Preventing Violent Extremism: Next Steps for Communities', Communities Secretary Hazel Blears announced the latest package of measures, including the establishment of a board of around 20 leading Muslim scholars and community.

The board, whose members are yet to be named, will examine issues relating to Islam in a modern context and how that fits with being a citizen in the UK, Blears said at Manchester town hall in northern England.


"We have a responsibility to ensure that our young people are equipped with the skills they need to stand up to violent extremists and help them understand how their faith is compatible with wider shared values," she argued.

Blears acknowledged that it is "not for Government to dictate on matters of faith or religious teaching," but insisted that it was the "Muslim communities themselves have told us that stronger leadership is needed on what are often controversial issues."

Speaking from the interfaith conference in Madrid, Versi told IRNA that the latest government measures show it was "not only targeting Islam itself but religion too now" and warned that it was misguided.


"There was unanimous agreement among Christian and Muslim delegates in Madrid that extremism is not a problem of religion but of politics," he said.Other critics of the government's new measures included Azzam Tamimi, a Palestinian academic and director of the Institute of Islamic Political Thought in London.

Tamimi warned that Muslims would be "skeptical" about the government's involvement in trying to set up a state version of a "Muslim church." Other controversial measures announced by Blears the promotion of British citizenship lesson for Muslim children while they are attending mosque schools.

To achieve this, the government has helped to set up the Schools Development and Support Agency, to work with scholars, educational experts and mosque school teachers to develop new citizenship materials and training packages for mosque schools.A Faith Community Development qualification is also being established to provide faith leaders with the "skills and
capabilities to lead their communities." --IRNA




source: Mathaba.net