British prime minister David Cameron barred the country's first ever and only Muslim cabinet minister, Baroness Sayeeda Warsi, from attending a conference dominated by Islamic fundamentalists on Sunday. The move has sparked wrangling within the Conservative Party to which both belong and the country's coalition government over how the government should handle extremism. Cameron reportedly asked Warsi, who is of Pakistani origin, not to attend the G lobal Peace and Unity meet on the grounds that hardliners, "who have justified suicide missions and supported al-Qaida, homophobia and terrorism were participating in it.`` Warsi is said to be of the view that confronting extremists publicly was an effective way of dealing with militancy.
The United Kingdom`s Sunday Times newspaper quoted a government source as saying, "She had hoped to attend, but there is a conflict of opinion on how extremists should be dealt with and the prime minister, supported by Theresa May (the home minister), were adamant that no Tories (Conservatives) should attend." Liberal Democrats, however, are of the belief that extremists should be publicly confronted. Their communities minister, Andrew Stunell, stressed in a speech at the event that the British government will not tolerate extremism, hatred, and intolerance in any form. Sadiq Khan, also of Pakistani descent, who was a minister of state in Gordon Brown`s government and new Labour leader Ed Miliband`s campaign director, also spoke at the gathering British television channel, Islam Channel, had organised the meet.
A Muslim think-tank, the Quilliam Foundation, had earlier this year accused the channel of promoting extremist groups.
Times of India
