A senior Muslim civil servant has launched an astonishing verbal onslaught against the Government over its response to Israel’s military strikes in Gaza – and has suggested that killing British troops in Iraq is justified. Treasury official Azad Ali, president of the Civil Service Islamic Society, now faces the sack over the remarks.

Cabinet Secretary Sir Gus O’Donnell – who is the patron of the society – acted immediately after being alerted to the comments by The Mail on Sunday. Shortly after this newspaper contacted the Cabinet Office, a senior official disclosed that Mr Ali had been suspended for the remarks made on his personal internet blog.

Mail on Sunday, 18 January 2009

It is surely unfair for the Mail to take all the credit for the victimisation of Azad Ali. As is almost invariably the case these days, this campaign originated with David Toube of Harry’s Place. In his latest piece Toube describes Ali as “a man whose politics are as great a threat to our democratic, liberal and pluralist system as any white fascist”.

But don’t get the idea that Toube wants Azad Ali to lose his job. Not at all. As Toube piously declares: “Patrick Mercer thinks that Azad Ali should be sacked. I do not. I cannot believe that there is no job in the civil service in which a man who dreams of jihad can be safely employed.”

To which one can only respond that it would not be entirely accurate to describe Toube as a piece of poisonous witch-hunting scum. Rather, he should be characterised a lying, hypocritical piece of poisonous witch-hunting scum.

Update:  Today’s Daily Mail returns to the attack with “Muslim civil servant ‘backed fanatic’s call to kill our troops in Iraq’“, and the Telegraph has “Muslim civil servant suspended for hardline blog attacking Government over Gaza“, while the Evening Standard goes with “Police give £35,000 taxpayers’ money to group headed by anti-British Muslim“.

Under the heading “The enemy within: senior Muslim civil servant justifies killing British troops“, the fascists of the BNP comment that the case reinforces their call for “the halting and ultimate reversal of Third World immigration”.