More than a hundred Muslim leaders in the UK have signed a joint statement condemning Sara Khan’s appointment as the head of the new ‘Countering-Extremism Commission’ and have called upon the government to reverse its decision.
The following statement was circulated among activist circles and was later reported on by Sky News:
“We, the undersigned, believe the appointment of Sara Khan (founder of Inspire) to the post of ‘Commissioner for Countering Extremism’ is deeply flawed and inappropriate. Ms Khan has no grassroots credibility with the Muslim community and no academic background or serious practical experience upon which to take up the role.
Moreover, Miss Khan has lacked transparency over the years with ‘conflicts of interests’ with 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 firmly believe that Muslim communities will refuse to liaise with Miss Khan thereby defeating the purpose of her appointment to the role.
We call upon the Government to reverse the decision with immediate effect.”
Whilst it is unknown who the hundred Muslim signatories are, 5Pillars can confirm that the Muslim Council of Britain and Muslim think-tank MEND were among the signatories.
Subscribe to our newsletter and stay updated on the latest news and updates from around the Muslim world!
