Sara Khan has been appointed as the government's anti-extremism commissioner however, there have been some organisations that have condemned her.
The Islamic Human Rights Commission (IHRC), the organisation that gave its annual “Islamophobe of the year” award to the Charlie Hebdo journalists who had been murdered a few weeks before in 2015, has called the appointment of Sara Khan as “ridiculous and provocative”.
Sara Khan will be starting at this position from next month however, there has been a backlash regarding her appointment from 100 Muslim groups who came together to oppose it.
100 Muslim organisations and scholars signed a petition to the Home office demanding for Khan to be removed from this newly appointed post.
The secretary general of the Muslim Council of Britain, Harun Khan expressed, “The fight against terrorism requires equal partnership between all parties, including Muslim communities. This appointment risks sending a clear alarming message that the Government has no intention of doing so.”
Chief executive of the Ramadhan Foundation think tank, Mohammed Shafiq has described Sara Khan's appointment as “a smack in the face of thousands who view her as part of the problem and not the solution.” He said, “Appointing someone who is so toxic in the Muslim community frankly makes the Commission useless before it starts. We call on the Government to reconsider this ill advised appointment.”
Diane Abbott, shadow home secretary also added, “The appointment of Sara Khan has drawn cross-party criticism. It seems to be a very ill-advised appointment, based on the widespread perception that she has only come to prominence because of her support for the Government's Prevent strategy. It is not an appointment that will build confidence across our communities.”
However, a spokesperson for Prime Minister Theresa May reiterates that Sara Khan is “expertly qualified” for this post and will “bring a wealth of experience and knowledge to the commission”.
Home secretary, Amber Rudd announced the appointment which is for the duration of three years. She said, “The commission for Countering Extremism will form a crucial part of this Government's work to stop the scourge of extremism in all its forms and Sara Khan is expertly qualified to lead its important work. She will bring a wealth of experience and knowledge to the commission which will prove vital as it works to identify and challenge extremism and provide independent advice to the Government.”
Sara Khan is the co-founder of the counter-extremism and human rights organisation, Inspire. On her website, she is described as “one of the UK's leading Muslim female voices on countering Islamist extremism and promoting human rights”.
On her appointment, Sara Khan said, “I am excited about getting to work on the Commission. This is about pushing back against those individuals and groups who divide and toxify our society. The aim for this first year is to listen, look closely at the evidence and make recommendations. Our study will be a unique look at the real scale of the threat of all forms of extremisms, and shine a light on the work that is going in and out of Government. I want to hear from victims, whose voices are often missing from the debate. We know about the hateful marches and poisonous online videos. But what about the harm we can't see?”
She added, “I will be reaching out and hearing directly from those brave individuals and groups who are doing vital work standing up to extremists. My message to them is that you are not alone. Extremism is an incredibly difficult, challenging issue. We won't always agree – and that's okay. It mustn't stop us from reaching out and engaging. I have made clear I am keen to engage and listen and I look forward to doing precisely that. I want us to come together to confront extremists – far right, Islamist or any other. I want to show that the people of this country reject hatred, bigotry and racism and instead chose tolerance, decency and respect.”
