Publishers face criticism over new book by Cage leader

MANCHESTER University Press has been criticised for giving a “veneer of academic respectability” to a controversial Islamist advocacy group by publishing a book by one of its leaders.

In October, the publishers linked to the University of Manchester will print I Refuse to Condemn, edited by Asim Qureshi, research director for Cage, a group Boris Johnson once described as “apologists for terror”.

Sara Khan, Britain’s first counter-extremism commissioner, criticised the move as giving legitimacy to a group it had found gave support for convicted terrorists, as well as platforms for “Al-Qaeda ideologues”.

“Cage’s senior leaders have advocated supporting violent jihad over

‘It is the Commission’s view that ... these values are in fact a cover to legitimise their divisive activism’

seas,” Ms Khan said. “Groups like Cage use the guise of ‘freedom of speech’, ‘rule of law’ and ‘anti-racism’, but it is the Commission’s view that when Cage’s activism, beliefs and behaviours are examined closely, these values are in fact a cover to legitimise their divisive activism.”

Haras Rafiq, of the think tank Quilliam and a former Government adviser on tackling extremism, said the book gave Cage a “veneer of academic respectability”.

A spokesman for Manchester University Press said the book was not a defence of violent criminals but an “examination of society’s expectations around an ‘appropriate’ response from innocent people of colour unconnected with extremists except for similarities of race or religion”.

A Cage spokesman said criticism of a book before publication demonstrated “their obsession with censoring opinions critical of state policies” as well as “suppressing freedom of expression”.