'Some contact with the MCB has been identified which we immediately stopped and we are investigating,' the Ministry of Defence said. Getty Images
'Some contact with the MCB has been identified which we immediately stopped and we are investigating,' the Ministry of Defence said. Getty Images
'Some contact with the MCB has been identified which we immediately stopped and we are investigating,' the Ministry of Defence said. Getty Images
'Some contact with the MCB has been identified which we immediately stopped and we are investigating,' the Ministry of Defence said. Getty Images

Defence Ministry cuts ties with Muslim Council of Britain


Simon Rushton
  • English
  • Arabic

UK defence officials have reportedly eliminated the Muslim Council of Britain's role in identifying and endorsing military chaplains.

The MCB had a voice within the Ministry of Defence's system for appointing chaplains despite a ban on the organisation working with the UK government.

Under the new orders sent out by ministers this week, the ministry must end the groups' involvement in endorsing imams to become military chaplains.

The MCB posted on its website on July 26 about the first Royal Air Force imam “endorsed by the MCB”.

The Telegraph newspaper first revealed the crackdown and said senior Conservative party officials had described the arrangement as “shocking”.

An defence spokesman said: “The UK government has a long-standing policy of not engaging with the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB), which is unchanged.

“The MoD complies with this policy. However, some contact with the MCB has been identified which we immediately stopped and we are investigating.”

Last year, Downing Street stated that ministers should continue to boycott the MCB. Gordon Brown’s Labour government in 2009 first set up the ban after the MCB's deputy secretary general Daud Abdullah signed the Istanbul Declaration, which called for violence against Israel and condoned attacks on British forces.

A report by Sir John Jenkins, the former UK ambassador to Saudi Arabia, in 2015 set out the history behind the decision to cut contact with the MCB, which he said seeks to exert influence over policy by cultivating politicians and officials.

It laid out how the Muslim Brotherhood shaped the Islamic Society of Britain, which went on to dominate the Muslim Association of Britain and played an important role in establishing and then running the MCB.

“In 2009, the then government suspended dialogue with the MCB after an office holder signed a public document which appeared to condone violence against any country supporting an arms blockade against Gaza,” the report said.

Sir John added: “There has been no substantive dialogue since then between any part of the [Muslim] Brotherhood in the UK and government.”

On Saturday, an MCB spokesman said the group's involvement with the ministry did not amount to nominating military chaplains.

“We will always support British Muslims taking part in our armed forces,” he said.

TOURNAMENT INFO

Fixtures
Sunday January 5 - Oman v UAE
Monday January 6 - UAE v Namibia
Wednesday January 8 - Oman v Namibia
Thursday January 9 - Oman v UAE
Saturday January 11 - UAE v Namibia
Sunday January 12 – Oman v Namibia

UAE squad
Ahmed Raza (captain), Rohan Mustafa, Mohammed Usman, CP Rizwan, Waheed Ahmed, Zawar Farid, Darius D’Silva, Karthik Meiyappan, Jonathan Figy, Vriitya Aravind, Zahoor Khan, Junaid Siddique, Basil Hameed, Chirag Suri

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The biog

Hometown: Birchgrove, Sydney Australia
Age: 59
Favourite TV series: Outlander Netflix series
Favourite place in the UAE: Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque / desert / Louvre Abu Dhabi
Favourite book: Father of our Nation: Collected Quotes of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan
Thing you will miss most about the UAE: My friends and family, Formula 1, having Friday's off, desert adventures, and Arabic culture and people
 

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The five pillars of Islam

1. Fasting 

2. Prayer 

3. Hajj 

4. Shahada 

5. Zakat 

Muslim Council of Elders condemns terrorism on religious sites

The Muslim Council of Elders has strongly condemned the criminal attacks on religious sites in Britain.

It firmly rejected “acts of terrorism, which constitute a flagrant violation of the sanctity of houses of worship”.

“Attacking places of worship is a form of terrorism and extremism that threatens peace and stability within societies,” it said.

The council also warned against the rise of hate speech, racism, extremism and Islamophobia. It urged the international community to join efforts to promote tolerance and peaceful coexistence.

The Voice of Hind Rajab

Starring: Saja Kilani, Clara Khoury, Motaz Malhees

Director: Kaouther Ben Hania

Rating: 4/5

The biog

Name: Younis Al Balooshi

Nationality: Emirati

Education: Doctorate degree in forensic medicine at the University of Bonn

Hobbies: Drawing and reading books about graphic design

Tori Amos
Native Invader
Decca

THE SPECS

Engine: 3.6-litre V6

Transmission: eight-speed automatic

Power: 285bhp

Torque: 353Nm

Price: TBA

On sale: Q2, 2020

The specs

Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo

Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm

Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm

Transmission: 9-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh117,059

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Asia Cup Qualifier

Venue: Kuala Lumpur

Result: Winners play at Asia Cup in Dubai and Abu Dhabi in September

Fixtures:

Wed Aug 29: Malaysia v Hong Kong, Nepal v Oman, UAE v Singapore

Thu Aug 30: UAE v Nepal, Hong Kong v Singapore, Malaysia v Oman

Sat Sep 1: UAE v Hong Kong, Oman v Singapore, Malaysia v Nepal

Sun Sep 2: Hong Kong v Oman, Malaysia v UAE, Nepal v Singapore

Tue Sep 4: Malaysia v Singapore, UAE v Oman, Nepal v Hong Kong

Thu Sep 6: Final

 

Asia Cup

Venue: Dubai and Abu Dhabi

Schedule: Sep 15-28

Teams: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, plus the winner of the Qualifier

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Ponti

Sharlene Teo, Pan Macmillan

MATCH INFO

Europa League final

Who: Marseille v Atletico Madrid
Where: Parc OL, Lyon, France
When: Wednesday, 10.45pm kick off (UAE)
TV: BeIN Sports

Results
%3Cp%3E%0D%3Cstrong%3EElite%20men%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3E1.%20Amare%20Hailemichael%20Samson%20(ERI)%202%3A07%3A10%0D%3Cbr%3E2.%20Leornard%20Barsoton%20(KEN)%202%3A09%3A37%0D%3Cbr%3E3.%20Ilham%20Ozbilan%20(TUR)%202%3A10%3A16%0D%3Cbr%3E4.%20Gideon%20Chepkonga%20(KEN)%202%3A11%3A17%0D%3Cbr%3E5.%20Isaac%20Timoi%20(KEN)%202%3A11%3A34%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EElite%20women%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3E1.%20Brigid%20Kosgei%20(KEN)%202%3A19%3A15%0D%3Cbr%3E2.%20Hawi%20Feysa%20Gejia%20(ETH)%202%3A24%3A03%0D%3Cbr%3E3.%20Sintayehu%20Dessi%20(ETH)%202%3A25%3A36%0D%3Cbr%3E4.%20Aurelia%20Kiptui%20(KEN)%202%3A28%3A59%0D%3Cbr%3E5.%20Emily%20Kipchumba%20(KEN)%202%3A29%3A52%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Updated: November 04, 2023, 11:34 PM