The Chairman of Birmingham Central Mosque has called for a boycott of counter-terrorism programme Prevent after claims it is unfairly targeting Muslims, including schoolchildren.
Future Lord Mayor Muhammad Afzal also labelled David Cameron an ‘Islamophobe’ over the government strategy, designed to help authorities identify people at risk of radicalisation.
Prevent has now been extended to include Ofsted inspections of out-of-school education settings including madrassas - Islamic religious schools - which the chairman labelled 'racist'.
Coun Afzal, who becomes Lord Mayor in May, claimed the ‘disgraceful’ legislation was discriminatory against Muslims and called on Birmingham MPs to fight against it. He hit out during a meeting jointly organised with Stand Up To Racism (SUTR) in Highgate, attended by almost 100 people.
Coun Afzal said: “I think the Prime Minister is an Islamophobe, he never talks about anything else but Muslim extremism. It is ridiculous that the government is saying Muslims are becoming radicalised. David Cameron says 500 people have gone to Syria to become radicalised, but where is the evidence?”
