The head of the Muslim Council of Britain has said the government’s approach to terrorism is creating an atmosphere of suspicion and unease.
In a wide-ranging interview with the Daily Telegraph, Muhammad Abdul Bari said the amount of discussion relating to Muslims was disproportionate. He cited Nazi Germany in the 1930s as an example of how people’s minds could be poisoned against a whole community.
Dr Bari also called for more emphasis on positive aspects of Muslim culture. Scaring the community “If your community is perceived in a very negative manner, and poll after poll says that we are alienated, then Muslims begin to feel very vulnerable,” he said. “We are seen as creating problems, not as bringing anything and that is not good for society.”
Update: See “Comparisions with the 1930s”, MCB press release, 15 November 2007
The MCB points out that Dr Bari said nothing about Nazi Germany in his interview. This was an interpolation by the Telegraph.