“After a series of reverses in the political arena, Islamist sympathisers yesterday established a key bridgehead in Parliament.” Yes, it’s Andrew Gilligan – who else? – responding to the launch this week of an All Party Parliamentary Group on Islamophobia.

Gilligan claims that members of the APPG are being “used” by ENGAGE, who he describes as “an organisation of Islamist sympathisers which has consistently defended fundamentalist organisations such as the East London Mosque and the Islamic Forum of Europe”. By that reasoning, of course, London Assembly member Andrew Boff qualifies as a fundamentalist sympathiser. And, in view of his friendly relations with the East London Mosque, Boris Johnson probably does too.

Gilligan complains that ENGAGE not only defended the East London Mosque against his hysterical witch-hunting, but it also opposed the Home Office’s ban on Zakir Naik entering the UK, failed to endorse Gilligan’s criticisms of an iERA report on Islamophobia and defended Caroline Spelman, the Environment Secretary, against Yasmin Alibhai-Brown’s attack on her support for the right to wear the face-veil.

If Gilligan wants to convince anyone that ENGAGE are a gang of dangerous Islamist extremists intent on subverting the mother of parliaments he’ll have to come up with something more damning than that. Unfortunately, given Gilligan’s long record of inventing fraudulent accusations against those he wants to discredit, he probably will.

Update:  See “A response to Andrew Gilligan’s smears about ENGAGE”, ENGAGE, 26 November 2010