The Inter Faith Network (IFN) has rejected criticism in The Telegraph about its alleged silence on Hamas’ October 7 terror attack on Israel and links to the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB).
The newspaper reports that Communities Secretary Michael Gove wrote to the charity saying he was “minded” to finish funding since the MCB is one in every of its members.
The government had until last yr banned official contact with the organisation after a deputy secretary general signed the Istanbul Declaration calling for violence against Israel.
The IFN has since taken an “in-principle decision to maneuver towards closure of the organisation”, with a final decision to be confirmed on 22 February, unless it receives £155,000 in government funding.
In a press release the IFN defended its continued work with the MCB, saying that it “represents a big variety of Muslims within the UK, with whom IFN goals to advertise good inter faith relations”.
“It shouldn’t be a proscribed body and IFN shouldn’t be aware of any policy or activities of MCB supporting terrorism,” it said.
On its alleged “failure to sentence Hamas”, the IFN said that Charity Commission guidelines and its role as an inter-faith organisation meant that it “cannot make an easy statement of that sort”.
“IFN has a longstanding policy on the making of statements which precludes direct comment on overseas events. Recent legal advice has confirmed the appropriateness of the policy,” it said.
Madeleine Pennington, head of research on the Theos think tank, has been critical of the federal government’s decision and said that the “misguided” decision to withdraw funding to the IFN “couldn’t come at a worse time”.
“The horrific violence in Israel and Gaza has created a very difficult period for community relations within the UK. There was an increase in each Islamophobia and antisemitism across the country within the closing months of 2023.
“Against this backdrop, opportunities to unite different faith communities in moments of shared anger and grief have provided beacons of solidarity and hope,” she said.
