I’m being driven out for calling Hamas ‘Islamist murderers’
HOUSING has long been an issue close to my heart. Back in 1994, I started work at COPEC, a housing charity in Birmingham. Later I served as Labour’s housing minister when we made massive progress in tackling rough sleeping.
I was therefore delighted last year to be appointed to chair Midland Heart, one of the country’s leading housing associations.
In the intervening months, I have worked hard to support the organisation and so I was shocked to learn on Friday that I had been suspended after a campaign organised by political opponents, extremists and an online mob driven by woke ideology.
What was my offence? I made the mistake of calling Hamas a ‘death cult of Islamist murderers and rapists’ in a tweet nine days ago. The word ‘Islamists’ refers not to Muslims in general but only to violent religious extremists who espouse a warped form of Islam. The term is used by the Government, universities and think-tanks.
I have said repeatedly that the vast majority of Muslims are just as appalled by racism and extremism as anyone else, but political opponents and extremists have nonetheless accused me of ‘Islamophobia’.
Their campaign has led to a torrent of abuse and even threats. That’s water off a duck’s back to me but Midland Heart received many such messages too.
On Wednesday, I deleted the tweet but did not apologise as I had done nothing wrong. This was not enough for the Midland Heart board, which met without me and announced I had been suspended. It’s worth looking at who has been behind the campaign to oust me.
There is Muslim Engagement and Development (Mend), a hardline pressure group whose CEO signed a statement in support of the so-called ‘armed resistance’ of Hamas, arguing they should not be accused of terrorism and demanding Israel be ‘dismantled’.
They are so far outside the mainstream the Government refuses to meet them. Then there is the hard-Left campaigner Gary Spedding, who spearheaded attacks on me on social media.
Also helping to focus minds was Lara Oyedele, a senior figure in housing, who said: ‘Imagine if someone else wrote this and replaced “Islamist” with “Jewish”!’ — as if being of the Jewish faith is equivalent to being a religious extremist.
The most bizarre aspect involves the police, who received complaints, investigated but decided not to take any action against me!
We have to stop this nonsense. Extremists must be faced down, not appeased. Ministers must show leadership and serious organisations should not be hoodwinked by people with sinister or extremist agendas.
Groups like Mend must be recognised by all mainstream political parties as the troublemakers they are. Most important of all, we must all stand up for our democracy and freedom of speech.