Interfaith interference

The British government sets out to ‘win the hearts and minds’ of its Muslim youth – and comes up with a disturbing plan, with implications for all religions practiced in the UK. According to the London Times,

“In future the government plans to boost the careers of moderate clerics who back Blair’s line on terrorism... Among those identified by the government in the documents is Amr Khaled, 36, an accountant-turned-lay preacher who came to prominence in Egypt in the late 1990s and now lives in Britain.
“The government will also seek to “promote awareness” of foreign-based imams, including Hamza Yusuf and Suhaib Webb. Yusuf is an adviser to President George W Bush and is described as the “rock star of the new Muslim generation”.... The Home Office is setting up a series of government-backed training courses for a new generation of British imams likely to be modelled (sic) on Yusuf and Webb.”

While Britain is entitled to refuse entry to, or deport, men and women who are dedicated to its destruction, the government should probably think several times before interfering in Muslim culture and religion. The Muslim decision to fight the drift towards religious fundamentalism must come from within; No Western government can – or should - do it for them.