03 July 2017

UK government urged to end Muslim Council of Britain 'boycott'

The report by Citizens UK also recommended the government launch a review of the Prevent counter-terrorism policy.

The British government needs to fix its “broken relationship” with the Muslim community, according to a report by an influential charity.

“The Missing Muslims – Unlocking British Muslim Potential for the Benefit of All” is the result of an 18-month commission into the place of Islam in public life by the community support group Citizens UK.

The commissioners, who include high profile names from the world of business, academia, politics and faith, travelled the country and are said to have listened to 500 hours of testimony. They have proposed recommendations for the government, Muslim community, civil society and the business world to implement.

The Muslim Council of Britain (MCB), the UK’s leading Muslim representative body has welcomed the findings of the report, which also called for a review of the controversial Prevent policy and fairer reporting on Muslims by the media.

“Wider engagement,” the report said, “including the robust challenging of views with which it disagrees, rather than the apparent boycott of certain organisations, could best enable the Government to hear from the widest possible cross-section of the UK’s Muslim communities, including young people and women.” [Middle East Eye] Read more