BY ALEXANDER MELEAGROU-HITCHENS

For some time now, Focus on Islamism has warned that Inayat Bunglawala and the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) will be brought back into the fold by the new Communities and Local Government (CLG) team of John Denham and Shahid Malik.  This was essentially confirmed last week by Martin Bright over at The Jewish Chronicle.  Today, Bunglawala has written a factually incorrect piece which both defends UK groups which have promoted a pro al-Qaeda preacher and praises a vicious antisemite who revels in the mass extermination of European Jewry.

On the pro Muslim Brotherhood website, IslamOnline, Bunglawala has railed against a supposed McCarthyite witch hunt against the British Muslim organisations that have been promoting pro al-Qaeda preacher Anwar al-Awlaki since 9/11.  His defence of these groups, some of which he is closely linked to, is based on the flawed argument that Awlaki only became extreme after the Allied invasion of Iraq in 2003.  This claim has been comprehensively dismantled, both on this blog and by Faisal Gazi over at Comment is Free.

In the article, Bunglawala also goes out of his way to heap praise on Yusuf al-Qaradawi, the unofficial spiritual leader of the Muslim Brotherhood:

It is very unfortunate that Sheikh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi has been barred from visiting the UK since early 2007 by the British government, following pressure from pro-Israeli lobbies. Sheikh Al-Qaradawi is an Islamic scholar who commands huge respect among millions of Muslims worldwide. As a regular past visitor to the UK, he would consistently urge British Muslims to shun all forms of extremism and to focus their energies on ensuring that their children excelled in education.

Although banning Qaradawi from the UK is certainly a debatable issue, praising him is not.  We should be under no illusions here:  anyone who still feels that they need to defend or praise this man should be considered, at best, an apologist for murderous antisemitism and Islamic extremism. These people represent a fringe opinion that is slowly, but surely, being defeated by the voice of the (previously) silent majority.  As well as having formulated the authoritative fatwa which provided the religious justification for Hamas suicide bombings, Qaradawi recently told viewers of al-Jazeera that his only regret about the Holocaust is that it wasn't done at the hands of ‘the believers':

Throughout history, Allah has imposed upon the [Jews] people who would punish them for their corruption. The last punishment was carried out by Hitler. By means of all the things he did to them - even though they exaggerated this issue - he managed to put them in their place.

This was divine punishment for them. Allah willing, the next time will be at the hand of the believers.

Now, I realise that this is the umpteenth time on this blog where I have referred to the pro-genocide ramblings of this putrid Nazi, but feel that it is the most effective way to show just how disgusting and unforgivable it is to constantly promote this man.  I could be wrong here, but I presume that Bunglawala is aware of the above comments by Qaradawi and yet is still happy not only to ignore the pro-Nazi rhetoric, but refer to the man as ‘an asset'. 

In a recent blog, I asked people to consider a hypothetical situation in which a prominent UK Christian praised a leading member of the Ku Klux Klan.  What would the public reaction be?  Would the government partner, or even speak, with such a person?  Here we have a Muslim who excuses and praises an Islamist Holocaust promoter, and still finds himself in a position where he may yet act as an advisor to the government on extremism.  The idea that this man speaks for any Muslims except for himself is not only wrong, but insulting to the vast majority of British Muslims.  The absurdity of this man having any role alongside the government is clear for all to see except, it seems, in the eyes of the CLG and some of its partners.

focusonislamism@standpointmag.co.uk