Yes it may seem incredulous that many of the 26 mosques named and shamed in the Policy Exchange report: Hijacking British Islam (2007) remain unaware of the serious allegations made against them. The report was in fact launched over two months ago (October 2007), and accused 25 mosques - out of a total 100 surveyed across Britain - of selling/distributing ‘hate’ literature. The report further urged strong caution to the government to take action against the potential threat posed by these institutions to British security.

The report makes a number of serious allegations against British Mosques as well as making sweeping criticisms against organisations such as the MCB and Muslim Safety Forum. Yet, speaking to some of the mosques listed in the report, they weren’t even aware of the report, let alone the fact that they were being defamed by it. After years of campaigning for Mosque reform and activism, it is cringe worthy to witness the lack of awareness and ineptness that runs through these institutions, especially when it comes to defending themselves.

For years MPACUK has campaigned tirelessly for Mosque reform and the restoration of mosques to the heart of the Muslim community; for mosques to assume a position of importance and relevance to communities around them – Muslim and non-Muslim. Our efforts have met with mixed responses, but a common response from Muslims on the street has been the request for us to ‘dumb down’ our constant pressure on mosques to reform. It’s ironic that these same voices are so silent when it actually comes to defending the mosques from external attacks.

What would be the response of these individuals now? More importantly, where are they? Are they putting their necks on the line to defend our mosques? Of course not, because it’s much easier to be a lazy critic or a couch campaigner, then go out there and actively challenge the wrongs around us. It is far easier to criticise MPACUK than construct any meaningful response themselves; they are complacent in the knowledge that their inaction will go unnoticed and their silent complicity will escape scrutiny.

Call me a deluded idealist, but in spite of this, I am certain that there are still many individuals out there who would like to make a positive difference, some may already be engaged in good work, and others may simply not know where to begin.

MPACUK is a volunteer organisation that runs on the hard work and convictions of dedicated individuals, passionate about defending social justice and human rights. MPACUK members across the country devote an unbelievable amount of their time and energies to the campaigns we run, but still we are significantly under-resourced and over-stretched. If you think you can practically contribute to the work we do, get in touch.

How would YOU respond to the hate material peddled by right-wing neo-con organisations like Policy Exchange.

How would YOU respond to the constant slandering of Muslim communities and vilification of our institutions?

The world has enough theorists and people sitting on the fence…what we desperately need are activists.