London UK, 15th August 2009 – UK Minister and MP for Poplar and Canning Town Jim Fitzpatrick has condemned the Islamic tradition of separating men and women at weddings.
Mr Fitzpatrick went public with his decision telling the press, “It’s a disappointment. We are trying to build social cohesion in a community but this is not the way forward.”
Taji Mustafa, Media Representative of Hizb ut-Tahrir Britain said “These comments from Mr Fitzpatrick are little more than a shameful political stunt, pandering to populist racist attitudes amongst certain sectors of British society. Is social cohesion about adopting the values of free mixing amongst the sexes?
“Surely this stunt is nothing more than a Labour Minister trying to make cheap political capital at the expense of the Muslim community. When one sees this episode, together with Fitzpatrick’s strong support for Labour’s anti-terrorism laws and the war in Iraq, one wonders why some Muslims worry about a threat from the BNP when they have MPs like this!”
“This incident, once again shows how the integration agenda of the British government is not about terror but about Islam and giving up the values of the Muslim community. We, in Hizb ut-Tahrir, remind the community that we should be proud of our values and stand for our Deen despite these insults by politicians. This incident also highlights the false claim that mainstream British politics has anything to offer the Muslim community. The criterion for entering Westminster politics is to leave our Islamic values and adopt the corrupt values of secular politics. In a society where family breakdown, divorce, rape, child abuse and political corruption have become the norm it is important for the Muslim community to uphold our values and show how Islam produces a decent society.”
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