UK Muslim and community groups reject accords between ‘self-appointed leaders’ and chief rabbi

Muslim and other community groups in the UK have come together to reject the so-called Drumlanrig Accords signed between “self-appointed Muslim leaders” and the Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis. The groups released a public statement about the issue yesterday.

The signatories of the statement included Friends of Al Aqsa (FOA), Islamic Human Rights Commission (IHRC), the Cordoba Foundation and the Palestinian Forum in Britain, as well as Legal Action for Peace (LAFP), Muslim Public Affairs Committee (MPAC) and European Palestinian Communication Forum.

“Dr Sayed Razawi, Imam Qari Asim MBE and the other Muslims involved failed to consult widely with grassroot organisations supported by the Muslim community before they signed these Accords with the Chief Rabbi, who is a staunch Zionist,” said the signatories. “Rabbi Mirvis has supported Israel’s war on the Palestinians in Gaza [part of the ‘Occupied Palestinian Territories’] where 61,709 Palestinian civilians have been killed, wiping out entire family bloodlines, and 111,588 civilians have been wounded.”

The occupation state of Israel, they pointed out, has dropped over 85,000 tonnes of bombs over one of the world’s most densely-populated areas where over 50 per cent of the population are children. “The whole of Gaza has been levelled including churches, mosques, the entire health system and the housing infrastructure.”

The signatories explained that they cannot, in good faith, acknowledge these Accords when the Chief Rabbi has made public statements supporting Israel despite the horrific actions of the Israeli occupation forces. “Moreover, Israeli leaders, Knesset members, Israel’s Ambassador to the UK and the country’s defence minister have made genocidal statements against Christians and Muslims only because they are Palestinian Arabs.” It is this, they said, which Rabbi Mirvis apparently supports.

The “self-appointed” Muslim leaders, said the signatories, were “fully aware that they only represent a small minority” of the overall British Muslim population. “For example, one of the signatories, the ‘Chief Imam’, represents less than one per cent of the entire British Muslim community. Imam Qari Asim, a senior Imam at Makkah Mosque in Leeds and co-chair of the recently launched British Muslim Network, represents even fewer Muslims.”

Despite this, they continued, these “leaders” proceeded to sign the Accords with an individual who even condemned the UK government for blocking minor arm sales to Israel during its genocide of the Palestinians.

“The majority of the British Muslim community do not even know who these individual Muslim ‘leaders’ are,” said the statement’s signatories. “Their actions and decisions were made independently without consulting the wider Muslim community.”

The community groups acknowledged that should the Chief Rabbi’s position change and he condemns the genocide and apartheid being enforced against the Palestinian people, they would welcome a collective multi-faith movement against oppression led jointly with the Rabbi.

“Until then, we wholly reject these Accords made purportedly on behalf of the Muslim community. A central facet of Islam is the complete rejection of oppression. As a community, we do not shy away from rejecting oppression in all its forms against anyone,” they added. “We strongly advise that both representatives of the UK Government and leaders of other faith groups do not attempt to select Muslims by holding them up as key leaders representing the Muslim community when this is far from the truth. Only Muslims can choose who represents them.”

Noting that they are “wholly supportive” of interfaith relations when carried out in good faith, the signatories pointed to the significant rise in anti-Muslim hatred within the Jewish community.

“We support engagement on challenging hatred in all its forms, and urge all parties involved to seek proper consultation and dialogue with grassroot leadership organisations supported by the British Muslim community before taking such decisions in the future.”

The list of signatories in addition to those named above is as follows: Health Workers and Allies for Palestine, Dudley Palestine Solidarity Group, the British Arab Nursing and Midwifery Association, Redbridge Community Action Group (RCAG), Alum Rock Friends of Palestine, Campaign Against Anti-Muslim Hate, Parents United, Bradford Friends of Palestine, Bradford Independent Group of Councillors, Newham Palestine Solidarity Network, Barking and Dagenham Palestine Solidarity Network, Newham Muslim Forum, Masjid Al Habib Canning Town Muslim Trust, Darul Ihsaan, Barking, Motala Foundation, Tower Hamlets Palestine Solidarity Network, Darul Jannah Community Centre, Windsor Muslim Association, Solihull Solidarity, Ealing Friends of Palestine and Birmingham4Palestine.

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