Moderate Muslims ‘take a lead’

The Sufi Muslim Council (SMC) will be launched to provide a voice for the silent moderate majority Muslim community, a spokesperson has said.

The new body is being set up to challenge the way current Muslim organisations deal with extremism. Its leaders say it represents a silent majority frustrated with slow progress in tackling the main issues.

Haras Rafiq, co-founder of the SMC, has recently faced criticism for expressing the view that Muslim leaders pander to extremists.

Mr Rafiq said: “The prime minister and others have on many occasions rightly called for moderate Muslims to stand up and be counted.

“In response to this call, and following extensive consultations within the Muslim community, we have decided to establish the Sufi Muslim Council.”

“Sufis count among the vast silent majority of Britain`s two million strong Muslim community. Up to now they have lacked an externally visible voice and the intent of forming this council is to provide just such a strong voice.”

Mr Rafiq said the council would immediately seek to build alliances both inside and outside of the community “to combat the evil political ideology” caused by a vacuum of leadership.