Report warns candidates to guide Muslim Council of Britain have ‘deeply | Politics | News | EUROtoday

Both candidates to guide the Muslim Council of Britain have “deeply disturbing views”, a brand new report finds.

Wajid Akhter, the frontrunner to guide the MCB after elections this month, says UK Muslims ought to train their youngsters to determine primarily as Muslim, not as British, the Policy Exchange has discovered.

The solely different candidate, Muhammad Adrees, praised the Iranian Revolution “when the great leader [Ayatollah Khomeini] led the nation to its destiny” in a publication linked to the Tehran regime.

One of the 2 might be elected to switch the present MCB secretary-general, Zara Mohammed, on January 25.

Khalid Mahmood, Britain’s longest-serving Muslim MP from 2001 to 2024, mentioned:

“The views exposed by Policy Exchange are deeply disturbing.

“That the MCB keeps getting it wrong is no accident – it is a design fault, rooted in its ideology.

“The Government rightly refuses to engage with the MCB and this demonstrates why that policy should not change.”

Policy Exchange has researched each candidates as a part of a broader investigation – to be printed later this month – of the MCB, which claims to be the principle democratic consultant physique for British Muslims.

Akhter, a physician from east London, had a senior position in The Muslim Vote, a marketing campaign on the final election to defeat Labour and Conservative candidates in favour of MPs sympathetic to Palestine and hostile to UK counter-terror coverage.

In two speeches in 2023, he mentioned Muslims ought to “organise” and “unite” right into a “powerful community” which might “change from the hand that is begging to the hand that is giving.” He mentioned he was a part of a motion “trying to unite the Muslim world politically,” including: “If we unite, we can win.”

Akhter has beforehand mentioned Muslims shouldn’t have a good time the “pagan” occasion of New Year, with its “un-Islamic practices” reminiscent of “mixed gender events.”

In 2017 Adrees, the opposite candidate, travelled to Iran on a delegation, assembly Iranian officers and the grandson of Ayatollah Khomeini and praying at Khomeini’s shrine.

Writing about his journey in {a magazine} printed by the Islamic Centre of England, described by MPs as a consultant of the Iranian regime, he praised Khomeini and “the Iranian Revolution, when the great leader led the nation to its destiny.”

It comes as Keir Starmer has been urged to shelve plans for an official authorities definition of Islamophobia within the wake of the grooming gangs scandal.

Critics say a strict definition would curtail free speech and make it more durable for whistleblowers to level out sure cases of wrongdoing.

They warn it may result in a repeat of the racism accusations that had been levelled at whistleblowers in Rotherham, Oldham and different cities the place there was abuse of largely white youngsters by gangs of males, predominantly of Pakistani heritage.

The Government mentioned it was persevering with to think about a proper definition of anti-Muslim discrimination, which some campaigners have likened to “blasphemy law”.

Robert Jenrick, the shadow justice secretary, mentioned “the Government should drop its plans for such a deeply flawed definition of Islamophobia”, warning that “throughout the grooming gang scandal, the false label of Islamophobia was used to silence people”.

He added: “It appears the Government has learnt nothing and is determined to press ahead with a definition that will have a chilling effect on freedom of speech.”

An MCB spokesperson mentioned: “The Policy Exchange has a long history of hostility towards British Muslims, including being exposed by BBC Newsnight for fabricating evidence to smear our community.

“They are consistent in advocating for indirectly denying Muslims equal rights and an equal say in our democracy.

“Khalid Mahmood, a politician rejected by his own electorate appears intent on targeting his own community to gain favour with those who seek to marginalise us.

“As for the specific allegations raised, we trust our affiliates will scrutinise candidates thoroughly in the weeks ahead at our hustings events and through the democratic process.”