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British Muslims for Secular Democracy reaction to Prime Minister's statement on detainee package

06/07/2010

British Muslims for Secular Democracy welcomes the Prime Minister’s speech this afternoon in which he has outlined the government’s commitment to uphold the key principles of democracy by pledging to establish the facts behind the alleged torture allegations. His plans to set key rules for future operations and activities of the security services will bring much needed transparency into the arena where our troops and security services are engaged in battling extremists and terrorists at various levels. Article Three of the Human Rights Act emphasises that torture should be prohibited and today’s announcement by the PM is an endorsement of this core principle that Britain adheres to.
 
Dr Shaaz Mahboob, vice chair of British Muslims for Secular Democracy said: “We feel proud to be British where democratic values are constantly being upheld and unlike many Muslim countries, intelligence and military officers are held accountable to their actions. It is important to recognise the mistake of the past and to draw a line under those mistakes but we welcome the new transparency measures today and the clearer guidance being introduced in an attempt to prevent the same mistakes from happening again.
 
‘bmsd believes that rather than defeating terrorists, allegations of torture help them and their supporters justify their hostility to counter-terrorism initiatives and the West in general. It is these allegations that divert the attention away from legitimate intelligence gathering activities carried out by men and women, who face an increasingly daunting task ahead of them on a daily basis.
 
‘British intelligence services and troops not only need our moral support but also require the logistical and operational support from their commanding officers and political leadership that can help them achieve success in their campaigns. A balance should be achieved between upholding the core principles of human rights and democracy, and allowing them to fight an increasingly difficult and unconventional war using every single legitimate means possible. Communities in Britain, in particular British Muslim communities, must also play their due part in combating extremism and terrorism by assisting security services.’

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Notes to the editors:  

  1. bmsd is made up of a group of Muslim democrats of diverse ethnic and social backgrounds, who support a clear separation between religion and the State.  
  2. bmsd’s mission statement:   “To promote civic engagement, social inclusion, responsible citizenship and good governance particularly within constituent Muslim communities of Britain; in order to build an understanding of the shared values between all citizens to enable them to live in an inclusive, pluralist, secular and confident Britain.”   
  3. bmsd claims no mandate or false representative status. Our primary concern is democratic engagement not detailed theological analysis or debate. The level and depth of commitment to the doctrinal core and orthodoxy of the faith varies among Muslims as much as it does in members of other faith groups. bmsd founders wish to create a platform for alternative, diverse Muslim views, essential for a progressive, multi-layered, democratic identity that is not in conflict with itself or fellow citizens.  
  4. For details please visit http://www.bmsd.org.uk  
  5. For any further queries, please contact:  Dr Shaaz Mahboob on  shaaz@bmsd.org.uk or 07961365751 or Tehmina Kazi on
    0207 631 4175