Communities Minister
The Blair Government recently established a new Minister for local government called the Communities Minister. Without going into details this was obviously in response to the problems that have arisen in the UK specifically with the Muslim community, and in particular the "home-grown" extremists who detoneated bombs on London Transport last July 7, killed 65 innocent civilians. The new incumbent in this position is Ruth Kelly, a former Minister of Education, who gave a speech today that is perhaps revolutionary in its implications, a watershed in the dealings between the Government and the Muslim minority.
Although she praised the Muslim community for its contributions to British society, she stated that from now on the British Government will not deal exclusively with the British Muslim Council, that is the umbrella organization of that community, as it has done in the past. This is because the BMC has shown that it is hardline on many issues, for example, issuing a letter that threatened repercussions unless the British Govt. changes its foreign policy (towards Israel and Iraq), boycotting a Holocaust Memorial service sanctioned by the British Government, harshly criticizing police for their methods in dealing with Muslims, supporting the rights of Imams being investigated or charged with incitement, etc. In fact, it has been pointed out that some of the leaders of this organization came to prominence originally as leaders of the demonstrations against Salman Rushdie when he published "Sacred Verses" and they were then demagogues calling for banning of the book.
Kelly said that from now on the British Govt. will deal only with Muslim organizations that emphasize "shared values," in other words those that fit within the definition of British organizations and are not Muslim to the exclusion of everything else. She also said that Government money will only be spent on such organizations that are seen to be cooperative and not exclusionary. She also called for Muslim women to adopt a more open attire, avoiding the use of scarves or veils that completely cover the face. She agreed with Jack Straw, that such coverings hinder communication and are a sign of separation of Muslims from the rest of society.
Also today two other politicians made similar statements. Higher Education Minister Bill Rammell said he supported the ban on the wearing of face coverings by women at Imperial College, London, one of the top technical universities in the UK. Although it is still optional elesewhere, and although he did not say that the Govt. would ban such face coverings in higher education, his statement did indicate a direction for other Universities to consider in the period ahead. This is seen as a part of a Govt. move against Islamic extremist groups that require their women to be totally covered. Another Government lawyer also said that such coverings impede the freedom of Muslim women in Britain. However, all these statements do not yet represent a specific shift in Govt. policy, which would need a statement by the PM and at this point it is unlikely that a specific Bill would be passed in Parliament banning such face coverings in British educational institutions. But, things are definitely changing.
Although she praised the Muslim community for its contributions to British society, she stated that from now on the British Government will not deal exclusively with the British Muslim Council, that is the umbrella organization of that community, as it has done in the past. This is because the BMC has shown that it is hardline on many issues, for example, issuing a letter that threatened repercussions unless the British Govt. changes its foreign policy (towards Israel and Iraq), boycotting a Holocaust Memorial service sanctioned by the British Government, harshly criticizing police for their methods in dealing with Muslims, supporting the rights of Imams being investigated or charged with incitement, etc. In fact, it has been pointed out that some of the leaders of this organization came to prominence originally as leaders of the demonstrations against Salman Rushdie when he published "Sacred Verses" and they were then demagogues calling for banning of the book.
Kelly said that from now on the British Govt. will deal only with Muslim organizations that emphasize "shared values," in other words those that fit within the definition of British organizations and are not Muslim to the exclusion of everything else. She also said that Government money will only be spent on such organizations that are seen to be cooperative and not exclusionary. She also called for Muslim women to adopt a more open attire, avoiding the use of scarves or veils that completely cover the face. She agreed with Jack Straw, that such coverings hinder communication and are a sign of separation of Muslims from the rest of society.
Also today two other politicians made similar statements. Higher Education Minister Bill Rammell said he supported the ban on the wearing of face coverings by women at Imperial College, London, one of the top technical universities in the UK. Although it is still optional elesewhere, and although he did not say that the Govt. would ban such face coverings in higher education, his statement did indicate a direction for other Universities to consider in the period ahead. This is seen as a part of a Govt. move against Islamic extremist groups that require their women to be totally covered. Another Government lawyer also said that such coverings impede the freedom of Muslim women in Britain. However, all these statements do not yet represent a specific shift in Govt. policy, which would need a statement by the PM and at this point it is unlikely that a specific Bill would be passed in Parliament banning such face coverings in British educational institutions. But, things are definitely changing.
posted by Jack Cohen at 11:29 AM
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