Muslim police anger over leaflet

Muslim police leaders are demanding to know why no action has been taken over a leaflet which blames Muslims for the heroin trade. The leaflet, distributed to hundreds of households in parts of Lancashire, Cumbria and Yorkshire, says people should “heap condemnation” on Muslims.

The Crown Prosecution Service said there was not enough proof it was meant to stir up racial or religious hatred. The National Association of Muslim Police said the CPS advice was flawed.

The leaflet says Muslims are “almost exclusively responsible” for the manufacture, transport and sale of heroin, 95% of which it says comes from the Afghanistan and Pakistan region. It says the process of “naming and shaming” Muslims will have a “positive effect” on bringing about the abolition of the heroin trade.

The Crown Prosecution Service said the contents of the leaflet were “racist” but has advised police that no criminal act had been committed. The National Association of Muslim Police said the CPS advice gave a green light to those behind the leaflet to continue distributing them.

BBC News, 19 September 2008

Update:  See also the Muslim News which quotes editor Ahmed Versi as stating, quite rightly: “It just shows that incitement to religious hatred legislation is inadequate and the BNP members use the loophole to target Muslims. If the leaflets were targeted at other ethnic communities like the Jews and Black people then the perpetrators would have been charged for incitement.”