Muslims were accused of being “in denial” by the senior Christian bishop accused of inflaming anti-Islamic feeling by declaring extremists have made parts of Britain “no go areas” for non-Muslims.

Bishop of Rochester, Dr Michael Nazir Ali, defended himself against a barrage of criticism at an inter-faith meeting at Ilford Islamic Centre on Friday. Organised by the East London Three Faiths Forum, about 200 people packed into the Albert Road, Ilford, centre.

One Muslim man said after the “no go” comments hit the news his family was targeted. He said: “Surely you must have known there would be this tremendous backlash, our windows broken, our sisters and wives spat at?”

Assistant imam of the South Woodford Muslim Community Centre and Mosque, Abdulrahman Tejan Bangura, fumed: “How many times do the wider community need to be educated about the fact that extremism is un-Islamic? Anyone that’s practising extremism is not a Muslim.”

Dr Nazir Ali said: “The fact of the matter is that extremists who call themselves Islamic extremists, whether they should attach themselves to that name or not is not for me to judge, have made it so difficult for Christian workers in particular places even to live. Christian clergy have been prevented from distributing literature in people’s homes, Christian workers have been attacked or intimidated. I think the Muslim community and wider community both, need to attend to this situation and address it, rather than being in denial.”

Ilford Recorder, 24 April 2008

“A march to celebrate St George’s Day has been axed – because the authorities fear it could spark race riots. About 1,500 children were due to take part in a parade to commemorate the patron saint of England on Wednesday. But council bosses in Bradford, West Yorks, have ditched the event over concerns it could upset the Asian community, many of them Muslim.”

Daily Star, 21 April 2008

Writing in the Jewish Chronicle, Harry’s Place blogger David Toube argues that politicians should reject endorsements from the Muslim Association of Britain.

“Like the BNP, the MAB/Muslim Brotherhood is desperate to participate in mainstream politics, and to be recognised as the pre-eminent moderate Islamist voice, capable of acting as a bulwark against al Qaida. That is rather like turning to the BNP in the hope that they’ll help hold back fascist terrorist groups like Combat 18…. Labour, the Liberal Democrats and the Green Party should move quickly to make it clear that mainstream politics can do without the support of fascists.”

“This column has long argued that mass, uncontrolled immigration was a deliberate policy to secure electoral advantage for Labour. Back in 1987, after Mrs Thatcher’s third victory, Labour concluded it could no longer rely on the old white working class. So it decided that it would import a new working class, which would then return the favour by loyally voting Labour.

“This was part of a wider strategy that also included the creation of a vast client state and putting as many members of the middle classes as possible on the payroll. It’s now coming to fruition in the London mayoral elections.

“There are 350,000 new voters on the electoral roll in the capital, most of them immigrants. There’s also a huge Muslim vote. Ken Livingstone reckons that 200,000 of them will swing it for him. So he’s sent his goons into mosques to rustle up support and lavished hundreds of thousands of pounds in grants on Muslim organisations. One of his most dedicated cheerleaders in the Islamic community is a big fan of suicide bombings and a supporter of Hamas, which wants to wipe Israel off the map.

“Now you know why Livingstone embraces Islamist headbangers, insults Jews and smears anyone who challenges him as a ‘racist’ or ‘Islamophobe’. It’s all done with a cynical eye on the ballot box. Vile he may be, daft he ain’t.”

Richard Littlejohn in the Daily Mail, 18 April 2008

You do rather feel that Littlejohn is preaching to the converted here. A Daily Mail online poll on the London mayoral election currently has Livingstone at 11% and Boris Johnson at 78%. Now there’s a surprise.