PM bans Muslim peer from Islamic conference

Sayeeda Warsi, the only female Muslim to ever hold a cabinet seat, was banned by David Cameron from attending the Global Peace and Unity event held at the end of last month in London.

The biggest multicultural gathering in Europe attracted about 60,000 people from all over the world to attend seminars and debates about the Islamic faith and better community relations on 23 and 24 October.

Many Islamic scholars gave words to the conference, including British business magnate James Caan, and Dave Clarke, head of the Metropolitan Police's Religion and Belief Group.

According to a Whitehall source quoted in The Guardian: “[Baroness Warsi] 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, were adamant no Tories should attend."

Tory backbenchers in the Commons vowed concern that extremist speakers could use the presence of national representatives to gain power and legitimacy in the eyes of the public opinion.

Following the conference, Simon Hughes, the Liberal Democrat Deputy Leader said: “I think it is unfortunate that our Conservative colleagues are not represented.”

Andrew Stunell, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government attended, along with Labour peer Lord Ahmed of Rotherham, the first Muslim in the House of Lords.

The event was organised by the Islam Channel, the UK’s most watched Muslim TV channel. Islam Channel was recently the target of a report published by Quilliam, a Muslim moderate think tank that argued: “[Islam Channel] repeatedly promoted bigoted and reactionary views towards women, non-Muslims and other Muslims who follow different versions of Islam.”

The Islam Channel appears to hold a belligerent stance to David Cameron's decision: “[Warsi's] exclusion represents the significant influence of the Policy Exchange think tank, which takes a noxiously one sided view of Middle Eastern politics and appears to wish to marginalise British Muslims."