Muslim leader sues Blears on Gaza
A leading member of the Muslim Council of Britain is suing cabinet
minister Hazel Blears for defamation, following a row over the Israeli
bombing of Gaza.
Dr Daud Abdullah, who is the MCB deputy secretary-general, is seeking
damages.
Ms Blears said a document which Dr Abdullah signed on hostilities in
Gaza had advocated attacks on UK military personnel and on Jews around
the world.
Ms Blears made the claim in a letter to the Guardian last week, but Dr
Abdullah has vehemently denied it.
The document is known as the Istanbul Declaration and was signed by 90
Muslim leaders in response to the three-week Israeli offensive in Gaza,
in December and January.
“ We are concerned with those articles which appear to call for violence
and Dr Abdullah's repeated unwillingness to distance himself from [them]
”
Statement, Department for Communities and Local Government
The minister said the declaration supported violence against foreign
troops, including British naval forces and advocated "attacks on Jewish
communities all around the world".
Ms Blears, who is Communities Secretary, said Dr Abdullah needed to make
his own position clear.
Dr Abdullah has in turn accused Ms Blears of "crude bullying". He said
the declaration did not represent an attack on Jewish people and that he
did not call for or support attacks on British troops anywhere in the
world.
Private dialogue
After the legal action was launched a spokesperson for the Department
for Communities and Local Government confirmed it had received
correspondence from Dr Daud Abdullah's solicitors.
"We have been in dialogue with the MCB since 6 March, seeking
clarification of the actions taken by Dr Abdullah in relation to the
serious issues raised by the articles in the Istanbul Declaration.
“ What I do advocate is the right of all British citizens to agree or
disagree with government policy and to use all lawful means to
democratically make their voices heard. ”
Dr Daud Abdullah
"We are concerned with those articles which appear to call for violence
and Dr Abdullah's repeated unwillingness to distance himself from those
articles specifically.
"The legal route that Dr Abdullah has chosen to take despite our offer
of further private dialogue with the MCB to resolve the matter means
this will now be taken forward by solicitors."
The UK government has said it is concerned with the following articles
of the declaration:
• "The obligation of the Islamic Nation to regard everyone standing with
the Zionist entity, whether countries, institutions or individuals, as
providing a substantial contribution to the crimes and brutality of this
entity; the position towards him is the same as towards this usurping
entity."
• "The obligation of the Islamic Nation to regard the sending of foreign
warships into Muslim waters, claiming to control the borders and prevent
the smuggling of arms to Gaza, as in effect a declaration of war, a new
occupation, sinful aggression, and a clear violation of the sovereignty
of the Nation, that must be rejected and fought by all means and ways."
Responding to Ms Blears with his own letter to the Guardian, Dr Abdullah
said: "I do not advocate attacks on any religious community, including
Jewish communities, and I do not advocate attacks on British military
forces.
"What I do advocate is the right of all British citizens to agree or
disagree with government policy and to use all lawful means to
democratically make their voices heard.
"A government which tries to suppress discussion of such views by the
kind of crude bullying to which Hazel Blears unfortunately stoops will
have little moral support, not only in the Muslim community, but in
wider society," he added.
Last week a Labour MP and two of the party's peers were among co-
signatories with Dr Abdullah of a public statement insisting they did
not "condone, encourage or support" killing any human beings or attacks
on British soldiers.
Ms Blears said at the time that the statement was a "helpful first step"
but that "greater clarity" of Dr Abdullah's views was needed.
She said she stood by what she believed about the declaration.
"Public statements that assert that attacks of this kind are not only
acceptable but an 'obligation' cannot go unchallenged,
She denied Dr Abdullah's claims that she was trying to "suppress
discussion".
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.
Published: 2009/04/04 04:30:30 GMT
Saturday, 4 April 2009
Posts
