Will the advent of Gordon Brown seriously change the Government\u2019s approach towards radical Islamism? Since the abortive attacks on a London night club and Glasgow airport, much energy has been expended on two issues: whether we can or can\u2019t call terrorists Muslims and the number of days that the police can detain jihadi suspects.<\/p>\n
But another, even more important, battle is being waged behind the scenes. Who should be the Government\u2019s chosen Muslim partners in the struggle against radicalisation? Mr Brown is already facing a big push from an Islamist-friendly faction in the Cabinet, led by Jack Straw and John Denham, to bring the once pre-eminent Muslim Council of Britain back in from the cold.<\/p>\n
The MCB was cast into outer darkness in October by Ruth Kelly, the first Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government. The breaking point for the Blair Government had been the MCB\u2019s denunciation of British foreign policy in the aftermath of the airlines plot of last August. Mass casualties had been narrowly averted \u201d\u201c but the best that the MCB could do was blame the West. Far from challenging extremism ideologically, it was appeasing it.<\/p>\n
The MCB lost government money, but it always had plenty of funding from other sources. What really hurt the MCB was the loss of influence, as Government sought to engage with a wider range of groups such as the Sufi Muslim Council. How to get back inside the tent has therefore been a serious goal for the MCB in the intervening period; it had been counting the days till Mr Blair\u2019s departure.<\/p>\n