On Jul 22, 12:35=A0pm, Ramabriga <Ramabr...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
> UK targeting Islam not extremism, says Muslim News editor
> Posted: 2008/07/18
> From: MNN
>
> The British government Friday was accused of trying to interfere in the
M=
uslim community on
> religious matters by announcing controversial plans to fund a board of
th=
eologians to prevent
> Islam being abused by extremists.
>
> Muslim News editor Ahmed Versi said that the government was being
"wrong-=
headed" as other
> attempts to have control of a state-version of Islam had "no
credibility.=
"
>
> "It proves that the whole strategy of the UK government is to target not
=
just Muslims but Islam
> itself," Versi said. "It is not targeting extremism but the Muslim
commun=
ity, including now on
> matters of Islam," he warned.
>
> Launching a new re****t on 'Preventing Violent Extremism: Next Steps for
C=
ommunities',
> Communities Secretary Hazel Blears announced the latest package of
measur=
es, including the
> establishment of a board of around 20 leading Muslim scholars and
communi=
ty.
>
> The board, whose members are yet to be named, will examine issues
relatin=
g to Islam in a modern
> context and how that fits with being a citizen in the UK, Blears said at
=
Manchester town hall
> in northern England.
>
> "We have a responsibility to ensure that our young people are equipped
wi=
th the skills they
> need to stand up to violent extremists and help them understand how
their=
faith is compatible
> with wider shared values," she argued.
>
> Blears acknowledged that it is "not for Government to dictate on matters
=
of faith or religious
> teaching," but insisted that it was the "Muslim communities themselves
ha=
ve told us that
> stronger leader****p is needed on what are often controversial issues."
>
> Speaking from the interfaith conference in Madrid, Versi told IRNA that
t=
he latest government
> measures show it was "not only targeting Islam itself but religion too
no=
w" and warned that it
> was misguided.
>
> "There was unanimous agreement among Christian and Muslim delegates in
Ma=
drid that extremism is
> not a problem of religion but of politics," he said.
>
> Other critics of the government's new measures included Azzam Tamimi, a
P=
alestinian academic
> and director of the Institute of Islamic Political Thought in London.
>
> Tamimi warned that Muslims would be "skeptical" about the government's
in=
volvement in trying to
> set up a state version of a "Muslim church."
>
> Other controversial measures announced by Blears the promotion of
British=
citizen****p lesson
> for Muslim children while they are attending mosque schools.
>
> To achieve this, the government has helped to set up the Schools
Developm=
ent and Sup****t
> Agency, to work with scholars, educational experts and mosque school
teac=
hers to develop new
> citizen****p materials and training packages for mosque schools.
>
> A Faith Community Development qualification is also being established to
=
provide faith leaders
> with the "skills and
> capabilities to lead their communities." --IRNA
> ** Posted fromhttp://www.teranews.com**
I don't know how the readers can thank you, but you get a big thumbs
up! Keep up the good work!
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