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Open letter to Home Secretary calling for removal of Sara Khan as counter-extremism tsar

Open letter to Home Secretary calling for removal of Sara Khan as counter-extremism tsar

Categories: Press Releases

Tuesday January 30 2018

You can read MEND’s press release regarding the open letter here.

Dear Rt Hon Amber Rudd MP,

We, the undersigned, believe that the appointment of Sara Khan (co-founder of Inspire) to the post of ‘Commissioner for Countering Extremism’ is deeply flawed and inappropriate.

We firstly must question whether the post of Commissioner for Counter Extremism is necessary as the criminal justice system is more than capable of dealing with acts of violence and planned violence.

Secondly, if the position must exist, we have fundamental concerns regarding Ms Khan’s suitability for the role.

Ms Khan has no grassroots credibility within the Muslim community and no academic background or serious practical experience upon which to take up the role. The lack of any firm definition of “extremism” and “radicalisation” is problematic considering that Ms Khan’s work in this area presupposes a specific focus on “Islamist extremism”. As such, we must question her credentials to tackle the threat of “far-right extremism” with equal vigour.

Moreover, Ms Khan has lacked transparency over the years with ‘conflicts of interests’ arising between her organisation, Inspire, and public bodies. We are also concerned about misleading information which Inspire has presented in the public domain and its links to Islamophobes which are now being uncovered.

We believe that this appointment will further damage relations between the Government and Muslim communities. We have no confidence in this appointment and are concerned that Muslim communities will refuse to liaise with Ms Khan, thereby defeating the purpose of her appointment to the role.

We call upon the Government to reverse this decision with immediate effect.

 Signed:

  • Dr Shazad Amin, CEO, Muslim Engagement and Development, (MEND)
  • Harun Khan, Secretary General, Muslim Council of Britain (MCB)
  • Saffa Mir, Vice President, Student affairs, Federation of Student Islamic Societies (FOSIS)
  • Saleem Kidwai, The Muslim Council of Wales (MCW)
  • Omer El Hamdoon, Muslim Association of Britain (MAB)
  • Wifaqul Ulema UK
  • Mufti Mohammed Zubair Butt, Institute of Islamic Jurisprudence, Bradford
  • Mohammed Ali, Islam Channel
  • Arshad Ashraf, British Muslim TV (BMTV)
  • Ismet Rawat, Association of Muslim Lawyers
  • Manchester Council of Mosques
  • Farouk Ismail – The Federation of Redbridge Muslim Organisations
  • Suleman Ahmed – Chair, MEND Waltham Forest
  • Sulayman Munir – Chair, Reading Muslim Council
  • Qadir Chohan, Manchester Council of Mosques
  • Mohammed Khozbar – Finsbury Park Mosque
  • Edris Seth, Zakariyya Jame Mosque, Bolton
  • Imam Yunus Dudhwala, Head of Chaplaincy, Barts Health NHS Trust
  • Sir Iqbal Sacranie, founding Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB)
  • Muslim Directory, UK
  • Ajmal Masroor, Imam
  • Abdullah Saif , MAB Midlands
  • Community Foundation (Birmingham)
  • CAGE
  • Abdurraheem Green, iERA
  • Aadil Jabir, Organisation: Newham & Redbridge Imams Forum
  • Kauser Jan, Chair, West Yorkshire MCSF
  • Maulana Fazal Dad, Imam, Abu Bakr Masjid, Bradford
  • Yusra Hussain Psychotherapist/Psychological-Therapist – NHS
  • Ahmed Al-Hidabi, Head of MAB (South Yorkshire)
  • Mohammad Arshad Khatana, Chairman of Leeds Council of Mosques
  • Faisal Hanjra, Board of Trustees, Kingston Muslim Association
  • Imam Abdullah Rawat, Musallaa an Noor Mosque, London
  • Saima Siddiq, Wharf Sisters Network
  • Mohammed Waseem, Masjid-e-Quba, Bradfod
  • Shoaib Malik, Muslim Action forum
  • Imam Yusuf Baig, Islamic Studies lecturer, Batley
  • Majid Hamid, Imam, Bearsden Muslim Association, Glasgow
  • Aman Ullah Mansoor – Chair, The Association of Sri Lankan Muslims
  • Moazzam Begg, outreach Director, CAGE
  • Rahim Jung, Broadcaster, TV Presenter
  • Abul Mahmud, Chairman, 13 Rivers Trust
  • Usman Quereshi, Norbury Muslim Centre
  • Mir Faheem, Community activist, Luton
  • Carl Arrindell, Broadcaster
  • Imam Mohammed Farook Kazi, Director, Al-Ansaar Welfare & Education, Preston
  • Abid Khan, Crosby Cricket Club, Scunthorpe
  • Shaykh Abdul Haqq Bewley – Islamic Scholar, Yorkshire
  • Ashtaq Arain, General Secretary, Muslim Association of Croydon
  • Shaykh Suliman Gani , Imam of Purley Masjid
  • Imam Shakeel Begg (Lewisham Islamic Centre)
  • Imam Tahir Talati, Mend Newham, Chair
  • Imam Afjol Ahmed, Imam Chelmsford Mosque and teacher at Masjid ul Rahman
  • Imam Abu Bakr Bagas, Hainault Muslim Association, Imam/Headteacher
  • Maulana Ashraf Madari , International Khatme-Nubuwwat Movement, Teacher
  • Imam Syed Nizamul Hoque, As-Subah Academy, Teacher
  • Imam Ismail Pijvi, Norbury Islamic Academy
  • Imam Raza Ali, Teacher, London
  • Mohammed Rafiq Haji, Quwwatul Islam
  • Imam Aadil Patel, IZA , Teacher, Newham
  • Imam Shah Mahmood Thani, Esha’atul Islam, Teacher
  • Imam Adnan Qurayshi, Teacher, Hafs Academy
  • Imam ZenulabedinYakub, Masjid Tauheed, Teacher
  • Imam Amirul Hoque, East End Islamic Centre, Imam
  • Mufti Salim Patel, Masjid al Hikmah Plaistow, Teacher
  • Imam Yahya Musa, Masjid al Hikmah, Imam
  • Imam Ilyas Badat, Quwwatul Islam Masjid, Imam
  • Imam Ubaidullah Bapu, Darul Atfaal, Teacher
  • Imam Minar Ali, East End Islamic Centre
  • Imam Ayaaz, Quwwatul Islam Masjid
  • Imam Haroon, Islamic Dawah Academy,
  • Imam Zubair Patel, Teacher of Advanced Jurisprudence, IZA
  • Imam Tufail, Newham & Redbridge Imams Forum
  • Imam Imran Maljee, Quwwatul Islam
  • Imam Abdul Mateen, Quwwatul Islam Masjid, Headteacher
  • Imam Hamza Adam, Al-Ihsaan Academy, Teacher
  • Imam M. Mufassirul Hassan, London Islamic school (Ford square)
  • Imam Suhail Patel, Al Misbaah Academy, Teacher
  • Imam Qasim Hussain, MDWI, Teacher
  • Imam Muhammad Patel, IZA, Teacher
  • Mufti Shuaib, Misbaah Academy
  • Imam Imran Patel, Quwwat-ul-Islam Society, Teacher
  • Mufti Huzaifa, Teacher, Forest Gate Mosque
  • Mufti Muaz, Teacher, Imam Zakariya Academy
  • Maulana Usman, Teacher, East London
  • Imam Nauman Ahmed, Academy of London
  • Imam Mohammed Dilwar Hussein, Al Rahman Education Trust
  • Imam Bilal Ishaq, Masjid Leicester
  • Imam MohsinGulam Muhammad, Quwwatul Islam
  • Imam M Wahid Mohammed Miah, 100 Roman Road, Globe Town Maktab
  • Apa Latifa, Quwwatul Islam, Teacher
  • Apa Sabiha Bhikhi, Darul Atfaal, Teacher
  • HuzaifaKolia, Head Imam, Masjid Abu Bakr, Walthamstow
  • Mufti Javed Kachhalia – Abu Bakr Masjid, Reading
  • Imam Abdul Wahhab, Markazud Dawat wal Irshad, Headteacher
  • Husayn Mahmud, Activist, Birmingham Group
  • Mariyah Zaman, Student Activist
  • Salmaan Patel, Imam, Kettering Muslim Association
  • Imam Yusuf Shabbir, Scholar, Blackburn
  • Ustadh Hamid Mahmood, (Founder & Head Teacher), Fatimah Elizabeth Cates Academy
  • Syed Fahad Abrar, Activist
  • Imam Zakir Muhammad Hussain, Birmingham, Imam and Teacher
  • Imam Asad, Blackburn, Teacher
  • Imam Abdul Hannan, Reading, Teacher
  • Imam Abdur-Rahman Anwar, Imam, Newham & Redbridge Imam’s Forum
  • Suhayl Ismail, Activist, Blackburn
  • Imam Muhammad Haque, Essex Cultural & Youth Society
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