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Muslim Council of Britain condemns Trump

The Muslim Council of Britain has urged the Government to “stand up for British values” as it condemned President Trump’s travel ban as being “dangerous to our values of equality and non-discrimination”.

The organisation, which represents more than 500 mosques, Muslim charities and schools across the country, said the ban had been implemented to placate hateful sections of American society rather than to confront terrorism.

It called on ministers to speak out more forcefully and stand up for the British values “it supposedly seeks from others”.

Harun Khan, secretary general of the Muslim Council of Britain, said: “This ban on Muslims is not only an inconvenience, it is downright dangerous to our values of equality and non-discrimination.

“We are told that British values include the rule of law and ‘mutual respect for and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs and for those without faith’.

“Yet our prime minister has found it hard to express these values when representing us on the world stage. At the same time, the ban will affect us here in Britain.

“Our government should express in no uncertain terms how daft this policy is to its US counterparts and press home how counter-productive it is in its professed fight to confront terrorism.

“In front of Mr Trump, the prime minister said that the point of the ‘special relationship’ was to have a frank dialogue. Well, this is one area where we need to be frank about where we stand. “As an important ally of the United States, surely we have a duty to remind them of the values on which they were founded upon.”

