It seems that the Government has not heard of reverse psychology in its dealings with Muslims community leaders. Ruth Kelly says she now only wants to support Muslim community groups that join the fight against extremists:
“the government in the past has sometimes fallen into the trap of setting too much store by the voice of a small number of organisations. We must make sure we hear the voices of those, such as Muslim women, who have too often been overlooked. The government has shifted funding to the organisations which are taking the lead by forging stronger links with other communities, providing high-quality teaching about Islam and standing up to extremist messages.”
I think that is something of a slap to the Muslim Council of Britain which used to be the Government’s favourite Muslim group until it realised that the MCB was politically opposed to much of New Labour domestic and foreign policy. But as I found out at a recent POLIS meeting which looked at this issue through the news media’s eyes, that policy is going to make the MCB very popular among disgruntled young Muslims. As any parent or teacher knows, any self-respecting Muslim youth with any kind of complaint will be more attracted by an organisation that the Government disapproves of.
And it doesn’t make it any easier for journalists either. Just who are they supposed to talk to when they seek Muslim views? Who elected any of these community leaders? POLIS will be looking at these issues in depth over the next few months – contact us if you wish to join in our activities.
It’s called democracy.
When a major party refuses to nod in agreement with everything you say, you simply discredit them and then start talking to insignificant parties who claim to represent a large propotion of Muslims (only in their dreams!).
Equivalent to burying your head in the sand.
The vast majority of Muslims opposed the British foreign policy in Iraq.
The MCB merely reflected this view. If they didn’t, they would have no credibility.
If you wanted the party political line, you go along with the government’s recommendation. If you want sensationalism then you pick any individual or any individual organisation. If you wanted the mainstream view then you should talk a an organisation that represented many other groups.
It is dead easy to ask for an opinion and then dismiss it because you don’t want to hear it.