New definition of extremism sets ‘dangerous precedent’, named groups say

Organisations who have been put in a harsh spotlight by the government’s redefinition of extremism announcement have condemned the move as an assault on civil liberties and an attempt to stifle dissenting voices.

Communities Secretary Michael Gove would not dare to make a similar suggestion without the protection of Parliament and legal action may have to be taken if he ever did, the Muslim Association of Britain (MAB) and Mend (Muslim Engagement and Development) said.

They view the definition, announced in the House of Commons by Mr Gove on Thursday, as nothing more than political posturing and a cynical manoeuvre aimed at appeasing the hard-right base of the Conservative party.

It is a calculated attempt in a general election year to garner votes by targeting mainstream British Muslim organisations and undermining our civil liberties, they add.

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Mr Gove told MPs that MAB, Mend and Cage were among groups who “give rise to concern for their Islamist orientation and views” who would be held to account following the launch of a new extremism definition.

In response, MAB chair Raghad Altikriti said: “Singling out mainstream, law-abiding British Muslim organisations who have contributed to the common good, sets a dangerous precedent undermining democracy, religious freedoms and free speech.

“This poses a threat to the very fabric of a fully functioning democracy. Michael Gove shamelessly abuses parliamentary privilege to deflect scrutiny and accountability.

“If Gove is confident in his views about the Muslim Association of Britain and other organisations, alleging extremist views and a threat to UK society, we challenge him to state them outside Parliament.

“However, due to the fear of legal challenges, we know he lacks the courage to do so.

“The failure of the government’s counter-extremism strategy underscores the urgent need for a complete overhaul rather than further erosion of civil liberties through draconian policies.”

Mend chief executive Azhar Qayum said, “We challenge Michael Gove to repeat his claims outside of Parliament and without the protection of parliamentary privilege if he believes he can provide the evidence to back up his view that Mend has called for the establishment of an ‘Islamic state governed by Sharia law’.”

Anas Mustapha, head of public advocacy at Cage International, said: “The government is continuing a decades-long strategy of inciting and exploiting fears against Muslims to expand an infrastructure of authoritarian laws which suppresses dissent not licensed by Whitehall.”

Moazzam Begg, who spent nearly three years as a prisoner at Guantanamo Bay without being charged, is a senior director of Cage.

The organisation was set up in Ramadan of 2003 as CagePrisoners, to be a reliable source of information on the status and whereabouts of prisoners seized under the war on terror.

It was renamed as Cage in 2013 “in response to a broader remit of confronting other rule of law abuses taking place under UK counter-terrorism strategy,” its website states.

Earlier, Cage International was among several organisations who backed a joint statement which billed Mr Gove’s announcement as “an authoritarian threat to society that we will resist”.

They described trying to define extremism has been a long-time “failed endeavour” and added: “We will continue to engage in political activity, protest and direct action for the public good, outside of the narrow constraints of ‘licensed dissenters’ which this new definition will seek to impose.”

Sacha Deshmukh, Amnesty International’s chief executive, said: “From the Prime Minister’s disturbing Downing Street speech earlier this month, the introduction of further anti-protest measures and now the expansion of the extremism definition, it looks as if the Government is set on shrinking the space for dissenting views and the right to protest.”

Describing  the announcement as a “further down the road toward authoritarianism,” he said: “This dangerously sweeping approach to labelling groups and individuals ‘extremist’ is yet another smash-and-grab on our human rights by a Government which has become a serial offender in this regard.

He added: “If criminality among certain groups or organisations is suspected, we already have a host of laws to deal with this.

“Today’s announcement is a dangerous gimmick and this whole enterprise should be abandoned.”