Tory chief Baroness Warsi attacks ‘bigotry’ against Muslims
By ANIThursday, January 20, 2011
LONDON - British Minister without Portfolio and Conservative Party chairman Baroness Warsi will on Thursday warn against trying to divide Muslims into ‘moderates’ and ‘extremists’, saying that it simply fosters intolerance.
According to The Telegraph, Baroness Warsi, the first Muslim woman to attend Cabinet, has pledged to use her position to wage an “ongoing battle against bigotry”.
Her comments will be the highest level of intervention in Britain’s religious debate by any member of David Cameron’s government.
They also confirm the Coalition’s determination to depart from its Labour predecessor’s policy of keeping out of issues of faith.
Some religious and social commentators have suggested that growth in numbers gives rise to legitimate concerns, asking whether strict adherence to the faith is compatible with the values of Western democracies.
Some Christian leaders have also said that Britain has become less tolerant of their faith during the same period.
In response, Lady Warsi will blame “the patronising, superficial way faith is discussed in certain quarters, including the media”.
Baroness Warsi will also suggest that some Muslim communities must do more to make clear to extremists that their beliefs and actions are not acceptable.
Her call echoes Prime Minister Cameron’s New Year message, in which he asked why the country was “allowing” the continuing radicalisation of young British Muslims. (ANI)
