New head of Muslim Council says it is ‘unacceptable’ to use grooming gangs scandal to smear all British Muslims_Nhy
Using the issue of grooming gangs to misrepresent an entire faith is unacceptable, the newly-elected leader of one of the UK’s major Muslim organisations has said.
Dr Wajid Akhter’s made the comments in the wake of being elected as the new secretary-general of the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB).
‘One groomer is one too many, Muslim or otherwise,’ he said. ‘But using the heinous acts of a few to misrepresent an entire faith and an ethnicity is also unacceptable.
‘We will act against both injustices.’
His comments come just weeks after Policy Exchange, a right-wing think tank, reported that Dr Akhter is said to have ‘expressed views which appear ominous for the integration of Muslims into Britain’.
In a report titled ‘The Muslim Council of Britain’s new leadership’, Policy Exchange highlighted a 2022 article in which he advocated that British Muslims should identify primarily as Muslim rather than British.
‘Most people teach their children to be their nationality or ethnicity first, but this gives such a limited and limiting view of yourself and others that this can lead children to be shallow,’ he wrote.
‘It is literally how the evils of nationalism, racism, and fascism are born…. Choosing faith as a primary identity for your children (and of course yourself!) allows a solid foundation upon which to approach the world.’
The MCB, established in 1998, describes itself as the UK’s largest Muslim umbrella organisation with more than 500 members, but successive political administrations have followed a policy of non-engagement.
Dr Wajid Akhter, the new secretary-general of the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB), said it was ‘unacceptable’ to use the issue of grooming gangs to misrepresent an entire faith
His comments come just weeks after Policy Exchange revealed that Dr Akhter is said to have ‘expressed views which appear ominous for the integration of Muslims into Britain’
Ties were first cut under Labour in 2009, over a reported declaration of support by a then-senior figure in the MCB for Hamas.
They were restored the following year after the MCB stated its opposition to violence, but more recently both the Conservative and Labour administrations have refused any official engagement.
In his manifesto, Dr Akhter, who lived in Essex, noted that international Muslim groups with which he was in contact during the pandemic did not know about the ‘fact that the Government did not speak to us’.
He has vowed to ‘transform the structure, strategy, funding and culture’ of the MCB, and for the organisation to be a ‘unifying force’ in the Muslim community.
In his inaugural address, Dr Akhter spoke about the issues facing British Muslims, including recent spikes in Islamophobia on social media.
‘We must sidestep the culture wars that force us into a corner and label everyone who criticises us as racist or Islamophobic,’ he said.
‘We must be willing to engage in good faith with even our most ardent critics. Build bridges, not barriers.’
He had faced a vote on Saturday against Dr Muhammad Adrees to become the new secretary-general.
Dr Muhammad Adrees, who stood against Dr Akhter, is said to have voiced support for the regime in Iran according to the think tank report
Outgoing secretary-general Zara Mohammed made history when she was chosen to lead the MCB in 2021, becoming the first woman and youngest person to take on the role, aged 29
The MCB, established in 1998, describes itself as the UK’s largest Muslim umbrella organisation with more than 500 members, but successive political administrations have followed a policy of non-engagement (file pic)
Both men had been criticised in the think tank report for some of their previously aired views.
Dr Akhter has rejected claims that he previously suggested faith should come before nation, saying it is not a ‘binary choice’.
In a letter published in the Telegraph, in response to the contents of the Policy Exchange report, he wrote: ‘Being British is a cultural and national identity while being Muslim is a matter of faith – these are not mutually exclusive, nor are they in conflict.’
In another article in 2012, Dr Akhter described New Year celebrations as a ‘pagan’ event, saying Muslims shouldn’t take part because it ‘usually involves un-Islamic practices’ such as ‘mixed gender events where people wear fashionable clothes, dance and sing songs, etc. It is necessarily an Islam free zone, not least because it has no basis or relationship to Islam’.
The same think tank report said Dr Adrees, a consultant physician in the NHS, had voiced support for the regime in Iran, but he said he does ‘not endorse the Iranian state regime nor do I have any affiliation with them’.
Outgoing secretary-general Zara Mohammed made history when she was chosen to lead the MCB in 2021, becoming the first woman and youngest person to take on the role, at the age of just 29.
She has since served two consecutive two-year terms.
Labour minister Alex Norris confirmed to Parliament in August that the Government’s policy not to engage remained unchanged and that there were no plans for ministers to meet the MCB.
A Government spokesman this month declined to comment on the specific reasons for current non-engagement.
They said: ‘The Government engages regularly with faith communities to foster strong working relationships and we are exploring a more integrated and cohesive approach to tackling racial and religious hatred, including Islamophobia.
‘Further details of this work will be set out in due course.’
