Unacceptable to use grooming gang scandal to smear all Muslims – faith leader

Using the issue of grooming gangs to misrepresent an entire faith is unacceptable, the newly elected leader of one of the UK’s major Muslim organisations has said.

Dr Wajid Akhter’s comments came as he was chosen as the new secretary-general of the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB).

“One groomer is one too many, Muslim or otherwise,” he said.

The organisation, established in 1998, describes itself as the UK’s largest Muslim umbrella organisation, with more than 500 members, but successive political administrations have followed a policy of non-engagement.

Ties were first cut under Labour in 2009, over a reported declaration of support by a then-senior figure in the MCB for Hamas.

They were restored the following year after the MCB stated its opposition to violence, but more recently both the Conservative and Labour administrations have refused any official engagement.

In his manifesto, Dr Akhter noted that international Muslim groups with which he was in contact during the pandemic did not know about the “fact that the Government did not speak to us”.

He has vowed to “transform the structure, strategy, funding and culture” of the MCB, and for the organisation to be a “unifying force” in the Muslim community.

In his inaugural address, Dr Akhter spoke about the issues facing British Muslims, including recent spikes in Islamophobia on social media.

“We must sidestep the culture wars that force us into a corner and label everyone who criticises us as racist or Islamophobic,” he said.

“We must be willing to engage in good faith with even our most ardent critics. Build bridges, not barriers.”

On the recent furore over grooming gangs, he said: “Let me make it crystal clear. One groomer is one too many, Muslim or otherwise.

“But using the heinous acts of a few to misrepresent an entire faith and an ethnicity is also unacceptable. We will act against both injustices.”

He had faced a vote on Saturday against Dr Muhammad Adrees to become the new secretary-general, and both men had been criticised in a think tank report for some of their previously aired views.

Dr Akhter has rejected claims that he previously suggested faith should come before nation, saying it is not a “binary choice”.

In a letter published in the Telegraph, in response to the contents of the Policy Exchange report, he wrote: “Being British is a cultural and national identity while being Muslim is a matter of faith – these are not mutually exclusive, nor are they in conflict.”

The same think tank report said Dr Adrees, a consultant physician in the NHS, had voiced support for the regime in Iran, but he said he does “not endorse the Iranian state regime nor do I have any affiliation with them”.

Outgoing secretary-general Zara Mohammed made history when she was chosen to lead the MCB in 2021, becoming the first woman and youngest person to take on the role, at the age of just 29.

She has since served two consecutive two-year terms.

Labour minister Alex Norris confirmed to Parliament in August that the Government’s policy not to engage remained unchanged and that there were no plans for ministers to meet the MCB.

A Government spokesman this month declined to comment on the specific reasons for current non-engagement.

They said: “The Government engages regularly with faith communities to foster strong working relationships and we are exploring a more integrated and cohesive approach to tackling racial and religious hatred, including Islamophobia.

“Further details of this work will be set out in due course.”