The Labour government is unlikely to reintroduce funding for the Inter Faith Network, which was controversially made to close earlier this year, a minister has said.
Speaking yesterday evening, social security minister Stephen Timms said Conservative former communities secretary Michael Gove’s decision to withdraw funding from the charity after 20 years in February, effectively leading to its closure, was “extraordinarily foolish”.
However, Timms then said: “I don't think the government is going to say you can now reopen the Inter Faith Network.”
His comments came in response to a question from Hassan Joudi, whose former role as an Inter Faith Network trustee was central to Gove’s decision to withdraw funding.
Joudi thanked Timms for his previous vocal opposition to the charity’s funding withdrawal but said he was “disappointed to hear the topic of the Inter Faith Network and interfaith in general being omitted from your lecture this evening”.
Timms: Need for a discussion
Speaking at St Bride’s Church in London, Timms said that the government “needs to be supportive, and taking steps to promote dialogue” between different faith groups.
He said “there certainly does need to be a discussion” between the government and faith groups around Labour’s “five missions” on economic growth, renewable energy, crime, youth services, and health.
“And then arising from that, I would hope that they will govern support for interfaith dialogue,” he said.
“The form that will take, whether it will be something like the Inter Faith Network or something different, I don’t know.”
‘No plans’ for ministers to meet Muslim Council of Britain
Meanwhile, Labour has said it has not changed the government’s policy since being elected of not engaging with the Muslim Council of Britain.
The policy had been given as a reason by Gove for stopping the Inter Faith Network’s funding, as Joudi was a Muslim Council of Britain member.
Answering a question in the House of Commons last month, Alex Norris said: “There has been no change to HMG policy and there are no plans for Ministers to meet with the Muslim Council of Britain.”
Muslim Council of Britain secretary general Zara Mohammed reportedly expressed disappointment at the lack of a change in approach from the government earlier this month.
“There’s been no official communication from government since the election, and when the riots happened, I guess that’s where we would have expected,” she reportedly said.
“We appreciated that, with any new government, they’ve got to settle in, and there’s got to be some time to work out [things]. There’s a lot of things going on in the country, economic downturns, we appreciate that.
“But I think what was really disappointing, and perhaps for many in the Muslim community, quite shocking, was no formal or meaningful engagement with the Muslim Council of Britain during a time when mosques and Muslims were being targeted by the far right in a terrifying way.”
Related articles
