UK government ministers on Thursday dropped plans proposed by Prime Minister Tony Blair as part of his 12-point anti-terror plan in the wake of the July bombings in London to close mosques used to foment extremism after criticism from the police and religious leaders.
British Home Secretary Charles Clarke proposed the police should have the power to secure a court order requiring trustees of a mosque or other place of worship to stop the activities of extremists or face a temporary closure. It was widely seen as an attempt to avoid a repeat of the case of the controversial Finsbury Park mosque in north London, which was used as a base by Islamist extremists.
But the sharp reaction has forced the government to abandon the idea. Rob Beckley, the Association of Chief Police Officers spokesman on terrorism, warned it would lead to the unhelpful identification of Islam with terrorism, be seen as limiting free speech, and prove futile to enforce.
The Church of England has demanded to know why places of worship were being singled out while the representatives of other religions reminded the government that a struggle for their independence had been fought out through history.
The reaction of the Reverend Graham Sparkes from the Baptist Union was typical of many of the 66 responses.
"Over the centuries, many Baptists have experienced persecution, discrimination, and imprisonment at the hands of the state, in order to secure control over what was preached, where it could be preached, and who could preach. We would be very sensitive towards any proposals that put these hard won freedoms under threat," Sparkes said.
Sir Iqbal Sacranie, secretary general of the Muslim Council of Britain, said that mosques were being "misidentified and stereotyped as incubators of violent extremism, while the social reality is that they actually serve as centers of moderation."
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