| Asghar Bukhari | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | British |
| Occupation | Founding Member of MPACUK |
Asghar Bukhari is a founding member of the Muslim Public Affairs Committee UK (MPACUK), which describes itself as Britain's largest Muslim civil rights group.
Asghar believes that it is his duty as a Muslim to engage in the community and be politically active.[1] He became politically active during the Salman Rushdie affair.
Bukhari is credited with increasing British Muslim's political involvement in the UK electoral system.[2] He was critical of the 7 July 2005 London bombings and the violent protests due to Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy,.[3]
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In 2006, Bukhari had sent David Irving,[4] a £60 cheque and a letter headed with a quote from John Locke, "All that is needed for evil to triumph is for good people to stand idle".[4] This was reported in The Observer as David Irving had made statements in the past supporting Holocaust Denial.
Bukhari said that he felt that Irving was, "being smeared for nothing more than being anti-Zionist" and that the "pro-Israeli lobby often accuse[s] people of anti-Semitism. He said he felt that Holocaust denial was wrong, and that did not know that Irving was a Holocaust denier when he donated money to him.[4]
Bukhari then published an audiocast [5] where he stated: "David Irving claimed he was not anti-Semitic and was in fact being attacked by the powerful pro-Israeli lobby; in short, being smeared ... I believed him, it's as simple as that ... I would not have supported anyone who is anti-Semitic."
During the Gaza War (in which 13 Israelis, and 1,417 Palestinians died), Bukhari, in a Facebook thread said: "Muslims who fight against the occupation of their lands are 'Mujahadeen' and are blessed by Allah. And any Muslim who fights and dies against Israel and dies is a martyr and will be granted paradise ... There is no greater oppressor on this earth than the Zionists, who murder little children for sport."
The British Centre for Social Cohesion, a right-wing think tank, passed his comments onto the police.[6]
As a result, MPACUK responded by criticising Centre for Social Cohesion for "wasting police time by reporting Asghar Bukhari for supposedly contravening the new law banning 'glorification of terrorism'. MPACUK – who actually care about stopping terrorism – expect our taxes to be spent trying to prevent anyone from blowing us up on tube trains (not dealing with politically-motivated malicious reports against media spokespeople from Muslim groups!)"[7]