Re: Muslims call on police chief to resign over Forest Gate terror raid
Dear Sir or Madam
The actions of a minority of people from the UK’s Muslim communities are causing huge set backs to community cohesion which is being slowly rebuilt following the events of last July. (Muslims call on police chief to resign over Forest Gate terror raid, Independent, 12 June 2006)
Although recent raids in London now appear to have been based on flawed intelligence, we cannot let this damage the good relations that exist between our local communities and the police.
Muslim communities have a right to ask questions, but they must stay calm and engage in real dialogue with the police to understand the rationale behind the raids. More importantly, this dialogue must then be communicated to local neighbourhoods through mosques and other community networks.
As well as improving the quality of its intelligence, the Metropolitan Police should also look to increase its knowledge of and engagement with key grass root influencers in the city’s many communities.
Working closely with local groups and community leaders will ease tensions and address fears that Muslim communities are being criminalised. It will also help the police gather better intelligence and work more successfully to prevent future terrorist attacks in the UK.
Yours faithfully
Dr Mohammed Ali OBE
Chief Executive
QED-UK
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