Standing up for our values

The reaction of the Foreign Office to Asia Bibi - urging the Home Office not to grant her political asylum in the UK out of fear for the safety of UK consular staff - was something of a disgrace, if not unexpected. So this is welcome news:

Three British imams have joined calls for the UK to offer asylum to Asia Bibi, the Pakistani Christian woman recently acquitted of blasphemy.

It comes after former Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, and other politicians, urged the government to help her.

Prominent British Muslims, including three imams - Qari Asim, Mamadou Bocoum and Dr Usama Hasan - have written a letter to Home Secretary Sajid Javid asking him "to make a clear and proactive statement that Britain would welcome a request for sanctuary here".

The letter, also signed by MPs from across the political divide, goes on: "We are confident that action to ensure Asia Bibi and her family are safe would be very widely welcomed by most people in Britain, across every faith in our society.

"If there are intolerant fringe voices who would object, they must be robustly challenged, not indulged."

The head of government agency the Commission for Countering Extremism also said granting Ms Bibi asylum was "right thing to do".

Sara Khan said: "This is an opportunity to send a clear message to extremists that our country will stand up for our values."  [...]

Boris Johnson was reported in the Daily Mail as saying "we cannot allow the threat of violence to deter us from doing the right thing."

In a letter to the home secretary, he went on: "I do not think it is a dignified position for the UK, given our historic links with Pakistan and the extent of our influence there, to look to others to do what we are allegedly nervous to do ourselves."

Agreeing with Boris Johnson? It can happen.

Comments

[Richard Powell]

As someone who has been responsible for the security and welfare of British staff in diplomatic missions overseas, I think the FCO's duty of care pretty much required it to warn the Home Office that offering asylum to Ms Bibi could have serious repercussions. Whether that should be decisive is, I suppose, ultimately a matter for collective Cabinet responsibility. Personally I'd prefer it if we could offer asylum - but I'm not privy to the security assessment, it's not a judgement to be made lightly, and certainly not one to be made in a blaze of publicity.

It would be interesting to know how Boris would have proceeded as Foreign Secretary, but happily we will never find out. Perhaps he could have found someone to take the decision for him while he was on a trip. Meanwhile I am disinclined to take any of his cost-free and self-promoting statements seriously. When he is right, it is perhaps for the wrong reasons.

[djf]

Isn't this situation the foreseeable result of Britain's immigration policy over the last quarter century? Maybe it's not always possible to keep "our values" the same when you drastically change the referent of "our."

Also, haven't our betters have been telling us for decades that Islam is actually a religion of peace and tolerance? Is it possible that they have been lying, or don't know what they're talking about?

[LibertyPhile]

It's good to hear some Muslim voices standing up for Asia Bibi, but I suspect the three imams mentioned are a long way from being mainstream; there's the problem.

A Dr Usama Hasan works with/for Quilliam. I don't know if it is the same one, but Quilliam is regularly lambasted by the British Muslim establishment.

However, buried in the MCB website you will find this brief statement. They wouldn't take any lead on the case, of course, but even they find it politic to say:

“There are unfounded media reports that Pakistani national Asia Bibi is being denied asylum into the UK because of concerns from British Muslims. We find such insinuations to be as nonsensical as they are divisive. We see no reason why Asia Bibi should be denied asylum into the UK”.

[Nick Tiratsoo]

Dr. Hasan knows very well what it is like to be the target of extremists. Its worth searching for 'Help requested to prevent an extremist takeover of Al-Tawhid Mosque' to see the beginning of what he had to go through, though inevitably it ended with death threats and him moving out of the area.