From Europe News:
Tackling the Islamists
New Statesman 6 December 2011
By Bob Lambert and Maajid Nawaz
Several British groups stand accused of acting as fronts for the Muslim Brotherhood. Should the state be willing to work with them? Yes, says Bob Lambert, a former senior Met officer Britain can be proud of how it has provided a safe haven for members and associates of the Muslim Brotherhood during the past three decades. Many escaped imprisonment and torture in countries run by corrupt dictators strongly supported by the west until the Arab spring. Now some are returning to their countries of origin to help build new democracies and bulwarks against future dictatorships in the Arab world.
In my book, Countering al-Qaeda in London, I document the bravery and success of Muslim Brotherhood activists in tackling al-Qaeda influence in Britain. This previously unheralded success is well illustrated by the removal of al-Qaeda influence from the Finsbury Park Mosque in north London, a partnership project in which the local Labour MP, Jeremy Corbyn, played a leading role. Interestingly, my own role in that story, as head of the Met's Muslim Contact Unit, has been criticised by Policy Exchange and other neoconservative think tanks as giving legitimacy and kudos to the Muslim Brotherhood, which they claim is "fascist".
David Cameron, influenced by, among others, his Education Secretary, Michael Gove, has adopted the neocon argument that police forces and civil servants should not partner British groups or individuals associated with the Muslim Brotherhood, and accuses them of being akin to the British National Party (BNP).
I agree that the police should not, under any circumstances, partner the BNP with a view to "deradicalising" violent extremists in groups such as Combat 18. However, I have found no compelling evidence to convince me that my former Muslim Brotherhood partners are similar to the BNP, and much to refute the claim. For example, the new management of the Finsbury Park Mosque works effectively with local Christian and Jewish groups. It is therefore wrong to characterise my approach as wittingly granting status and legitimacy to non-violent extremists - to set a thief to catch a thief, as some of my critics put it.
Instead, I have found the overwhelming majority of Muslim Brotherhood figures in Britain to be similar in outlook to Rachid Ghannouchi, head of Ennahda, the Islamist party that was victorious in Tunisia's elections last month. Having gone from a modest home in north London to the plush new headquarters of Ennahda and the levers of power in Tunis, Ghannouchi is a good example of the compatibility between the political ambitions of many British members and associates of the Muslim Brotherhood and democratic norms. (...)
Posted December 6th, 2011 by pk
Tackling the Islamists
New Statesman 6 December 2011
By Bob Lambert and Maajid Nawaz
Several British groups stand accused of acting as fronts for the Muslim Brotherhood. Should the state be willing to work with them? Yes, says Bob Lambert, a former senior Met officer Britain can be proud of how it has provided a safe haven for members and associates of the Muslim Brotherhood during the past three decades. Many escaped imprisonment and torture in countries run by corrupt dictators strongly supported by the west until the Arab spring. Now some are returning to their countries of origin to help build new democracies and bulwarks against future dictatorships in the Arab world.
In my book, Countering al-Qaeda in London, I document the bravery and success of Muslim Brotherhood activists in tackling al-Qaeda influence in Britain. This previously unheralded success is well illustrated by the removal of al-Qaeda influence from the Finsbury Park Mosque in north London, a partnership project in which the local Labour MP, Jeremy Corbyn, played a leading role. Interestingly, my own role in that story, as head of the Met's Muslim Contact Unit, has been criticised by Policy Exchange and other neoconservative think tanks as giving legitimacy and kudos to the Muslim Brotherhood, which they claim is "fascist".
David Cameron, influenced by, among others, his Education Secretary, Michael Gove, has adopted the neocon argument that police forces and civil servants should not partner British groups or individuals associated with the Muslim Brotherhood, and accuses them of being akin to the British National Party (BNP).
I agree that the police should not, under any circumstances, partner the BNP with a view to "deradicalising" violent extremists in groups such as Combat 18. However, I have found no compelling evidence to convince me that my former Muslim Brotherhood partners are similar to the BNP, and much to refute the claim. For example, the new management of the Finsbury Park Mosque works effectively with local Christian and Jewish groups. It is therefore wrong to characterise my approach as wittingly granting status and legitimacy to non-violent extremists - to set a thief to catch a thief, as some of my critics put it.
Instead, I have found the overwhelming majority of Muslim Brotherhood figures in Britain to be similar in outlook to Rachid Ghannouchi, head of Ennahda, the Islamist party that was victorious in Tunisia's elections last month. Having gone from a modest home in north London to the plush new headquarters of Ennahda and the levers of power in Tunis, Ghannouchi is a good example of the compatibility between the political ambitions of many British members and associates of the Muslim Brotherhood and democratic norms. (...)
Posted December 6th, 2011 by pk
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