British Jews warn government against resuming relations with Muslim umbrella group

22 January 2010

The Board of Deputies of British Jews and the Jewish Leadership Council (JLC) have expressed concern about the government's decision to lift its ban on relations with the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB), the UK's largest Muslim organization. In a letter addressed to the Secretary of State for Communities, John Denham, the president of the Board Vivian Wineman and the chairman of the JLC Executive Committee Mick Davis wrote: "In recent years the MCB has supported, joint-hosted and participated in many meetings, demonstrations and other events that incite the most extreme hatred of Zionists. These events are filled with active support for Hezbollah and Hamas and fuel extreme hatred against any British Jews who do not proactively denounce Israel." The letter insisted, however, that the Jewish community was not opposed to government dialogue with the MCB per se.

An MCB spokesman told the ‘Jewish News’ website that the Muslim umbrella organization had not yet decided whether it would be attending Holocaust Memorial Day on 27 January. He said: "We have received an invitation. Muhammad Abdul Bari, the secretary general, will be discussing this with his colleagues this weekend and will then take a decision next week.” The MCB caused offense in parts of the Jewish community when it imposed a boycott of Holocaust Memorial Day in 2006. The boycott was lifted in 2008 but representatives of the group refused to attend the commemoration last year in protest against Israel's actions in Gaza.

 

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