Conservatives, Muslim organisations and WikiLeaks

The leaking of more than 250,000 secret American embassy cables offer a unique insight into the murky world of international relations and show the extent of UK subservience to the US. Apart from confirming that Conservative politicians fell over themselves to express their pro-US credentials ahead of winning May’s General Elections, they portray a deep sense of insecurity about London’s so-called special relationship with Washington. There is also an extraordinary view how Prime Minister, David Cameron, views the British Muslim community and the roots many have with Pakistan.

In one cable in February 2009, deputy head of the US Embassy in London, Richard LeBaron, described a British “paranoia” about relations with Washington, but suggested that although it was tempting the US should not take advantage of the neurosis. “In the long run it is not in US interests to have the UK public concluding the relationship is weakening, on either side,” LeBaron said. “The UK’s commitment of resources - financial, military, diplomatic - in support of US global priorities remains unparalleled.”

Other cables published by WikiLeakes also reveal that US President, Barack Obama, regarded David Cameron as “lightweight” after their first meeting, that the US viewed Gordon Brown as “unstable” and that they were told by Governor of the Bank of England, Mervyn King, that George Osborne, when he was Shadow Chancellor, “lacked depth.”

When meeting Cameron and Osborne last year, US Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan Ambassador, the late Richard Holbrooke, also criticised Britain’s counter-radicalisation strategy with UK Muslims. Cameron was said to have agreed on the need to get UK-Pakistan relations “right”. Holbrooke urged the Conservatives to “capitalize” on the UK’s large Pakistani community and to exercise more effectively the strong influence Britain continues to enjoy in Islamabad. Cameron was said to have noted that most of the  approximately one million UK citizens of Pakistani origin living in the UK were not pro-Taliban but had been radicalised by the Iraq war and were “militant” over Kashmir.

The cable, also from LeBaron, quoted Cameron saying that the UK under Labour had got the radicalisation of British Pakistanis “wrong domestically” and was critical of the “Prevent” counter-radicalisation pillar. “He argued that PM Brown’s policy had been too willing to engage with radicalized but non-violent Muslim groups. Cameron argued that there should be no difference and that both groups should be treated the same and sanctioned if they advocated violence,” it said. “We let in some crazies,” Cameron said, “and didn’t wake up soon enough.”

Cameron was said to have singled out XXXXXXXXXXXX as groups that the Government should not be dealing with as conduits to the Muslim communities. According to the Guardian, the redacted Xs in the US Embassy despatch masked the names of Hizb ut-Tahrir (HT) as well as the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB). Although there is a wide gulf between the representation and ideology of the two groups, the Tory attitude towards HT is well known through the highly-publicised calls for it to be proscribed under terror laws even though HT does not advocate violence. In an interview with The Muslim News before the General Elections, Cameron also clarified that he would continue the boycott of the MCB after it was lifted by Labour. Despite it being the largest umbrella organisation representing the community, he said that the Tories “should have a very positive "relationship” with Muslims and their representatives yet failed to say who and how.

The Tory Government refuses to have any formal meetings with the MCB and were not invited to the ‘Id al-Adha celebrations in Downing Street. In October, Conservative Party Co-Chair, Baroness Sayeeda Warsi, was refused to attend the Global Peace & Unity Conference by the Government. “She had hoped to attend, but there is a conflict of opinion on how extremists should be dealt with and the Prime Minister, supported by Theresa May [the Home Secretary], were adamant no Tories should attend,” the Observer reported.

What may offer an insight is the quote of Defence Secretary, Liam Fox, by US Ambassador to London, Louis Susman, that the Tories feel “less dependent” than the Labour Party on votes from the British-Pakistani community.

It is important for the Government to have dialogue with all Muslim organisations even though they may disagree with some of their views, in the same way it does with other faith communities.