The government has been criticised for appointing a divisive counter-extremism campaigner to lead a fresh campaign to stamp out radicalism in Muslim communities.

Sara Khan will lead the new Commission for Countering Extremism, the home secretary, Amber Rudd, announced, adding that Khan was “expertly qualified”.

The move was welcomed by some, including the former terror watchdog David Anderson QC.

However, the appointment of Khan, who is seen as being supportive of the government’s controversial Prevent programme, was immediately criticised by some, including from within the Conservative party.

The former Tory chairwoman Sayeeda Warsi described it as “a deeply disturbing appointment”.

She tweeted: “Sara has unfortunately been a strong advocate of the government’s policy of disengagement, a policy which many, including members of the police and intelligence services, consider has damaged the important battle to engage Britain’s Muslim communities.

“For the commissioner to be effective the person had to be an independent thinker, both connected to and respected by a cross-section of British Muslims. Sara is sadly seen by many as simply a creation of and mouthpiece for the Home Office.”

Harun Khan, the secretary general of the Muslim Council of Britain, said: “The fight against terrorism requires equal partnership between all parties, including Muslim communities.

“This appointment risks sending a clear and alarming message that the government has no intention of doing so. Sadly it will be seen as a move to placate those small sections of society who see Muslims as foreign, alien, rather than as equal citizens in this country.”

Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, the Labour MP Naz Shah, the vice-chair of the British Muslims all-party group, said: “Here we have somebody who does not accept the concerns in the community.”

Shah said Khan appeared before the home affairs select committee, of which the Labour MP is a member, and failed to allay concerns about her independence.

“She continues to profess she’s independent,” she said. “Even her book she wrote was in partnership with the Home Office. She has taken Prevent funding. She came out of nowhere after the coalition government without any experience.”

But speaking on the same programme, Amina Lone, the co-director of the thinktank the Social Action and Research Foundation (Sarf), defended Khan and the appointment.

“It’s quite incredible we have elected officials decrying an appointment which should be welcomed – which is of a young British woman, Muslim woman, when we say there aren’t enough women in leadership.”

Anderson, who was the independent reviewer of terrorism legislation for six years, defended Khan on Twitter, saying the idea that she was a “government stooge” was hard to reconcile with her opposition to the counter-extremism bill.

Sara Khan of @wewillinspire put her views on countering extremism to Parliament in 2016. She records her opposition to the proposed Counter-Extremism Bill in answer to Q28. https://t.co/LkS2rKA0cg — David Anderson QC (@bricksilk) January 25, 2018

Khan, who describes herself as a counter-extremism and women’s rights activist, said she was “honoured and humbled”. She added: “I recognise the scale of the challenge we face in confronting extremism and I am deeply committed to this role.



“I will create a commission that is forthright in challenging extremism in the name of our shared values, fundamental freedoms and human rights. To those in our country who recognise the harm and threat extremism continues to pose in our society, I am eager to collaborate and engage.”

Khan, whose official title will be lead commissioner, is co-founder of the counter-extremism organisation Inspire. Her website describes her as “one of the UK’s leading Muslim female voices on countering Islamist extremism and promoting human rights”.

Announcing the appointment, Rudd 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.”

Plans to set up the commission were announced by Theresa May after the Manchester arena bombing last May – one of five terror attacks in Britain in 2017.

The body will be tasked with identifying and challenging all forms of extremism, advising ministers on new policies and promoting “pluralistic British values”.

In one of its early functions, the commission will produce an assessment of the threat from extremism and the current response to it. Its remit is also expected to include helping train schools and colleges to spot warning signs and ensuring women’s rights are upheld.

Khan is expected to take up her post in the next month. The appointment is for a period of three years.