This Secretive Agenda Must Be Taken Seriously
THE TELEGRAPH: Telegraph View: Developments in Tower Hamlets are worrying news for British democracy

Radical Muslims, in their unguarded moments, are unrepentant about what they believe to be their religious duty: the replacement of secular, tolerant and liberal democracy in Britain by a rigid theocracy, in which the country is governed by Islamic law. Those who aspire to that goal are usually, and correctly, dismissed as a tiny minority who are unrepresentative of the moderate majority of British Muslims. But it would be wrong to dismiss the extremists as insignificant. The evidence we publish today [Saturday, February 27, 2010] suggests that at least one such group has infiltrated parts of the Labour Party, and has taken over important aspects of the running of the London borough of Tower Hamlets.

If the Islamic Forum of Europe (IFE) was open and frank about its aims, voters would be able to make up their own minds about whether they wanted to see its members in any form of government in Britain. It is part of any democratic system worthy of the name that those who abide by the rule of law are entitled to campaign in elections, even if we find their beliefs objectionable. But some members of the IFE demonstrate in private that they have an agenda that they are not willing to share with the electorate. They have also demonstrated that they are unwilling to abide by the procedures which are essential if elections are to be free and fair. As we report today, Jim Fitzpatrick, the MP for Tower Hamlets, believes that the party has been infiltrated by radical Muslims – just as it was infiltrated in the 1980s by the Militant Tendency. The IFE denies any such campaign. But its denials would be more credible if, in public, the IFE was not presented as simply a "social welfare organisation" committed to "community cohesion" and "tolerance" – while in private, it shows itself to be committed to replacing democracy by a theocracy based on Islamic law. >>> Telegraph View | Sunday, February 28, 2010

Related:

Dispatches: Britain’s Islamic Republic >>> Channel 4 | Monday, March 01, 2010

Britain's Islamic Republic >>> Channel 4 | Monday, March 01, 2010

Islamic Radicals 'Infiltrate' the Labour Party >>> Andrew Gilligan | Saturday, February 27, 2010

Bishop of Rochester: Church of England Must Do More to Counter Twin Threats of Secularism and Radical Islam
THE TELEGRAPH: Traditional British society is under threat from the rise of aggressive secularism and radical Islam, one of the Church of England's most outspoken bishops has warned as he steps down.

The Rt Rev Michael Nazir-Ali, who ends his time as Bishop of Rochester next week, said the established religion must speak out more to preserve the country’s Christian heritage and offer moral guidance to the masses.

He also claimed that liberal Anglicans around the world who are following contemporary culture rather than the teachings of the Bible are effectively following a different faith.

Dr Nazir-Ali, who was born in Pakistan, became the Church’s first Asian bishop when he was appointed to Rochester in 1994 and came to be seen as a contender for the next Archbishop of Canterbury.

However the job went to Dr Rowan Williams and as the global Anglican Communion tore itself apart over the ordination of homosexual clergy, Dr Nazir-Ali instead became known as one of its leading conservative voices.

Last year he claimed some parts of Britain had become “no-go areas” for non-Muslims, and boycotted a once-a-decade gathering of senior Anglicans in protest at the presence of liberal American bishops.

In a final interview with The Daily Telegraph before stepping down on Tuesday, Dr Nazir-Ali said he did not believe the history of the church would have been different had he been given the most important job in Anglicanism.

“This is not about one man – these are currents in culture and they happen in different ages.

“I am happy that I’ve been able to do what I’ve been asked to do.”

But he also said that the Church of England, which is used to working with society, should speak up more often to defend the country’s customs and institutions, most of which are based on Christian teaching. >>> Martin Beckford, Religious Affairs Correspondent | Saturday, August 29, 2009