Muslim Safety Forum

The Muslim Safety Forum is a British-based organization set up to challenge the "unfair focus on the Muslim community when it came to policing activities and enforcement of anti-terror policing legislation".^[1] It was founded in 2006 with Azad Ali as its chairman.^[2]

In December 2006, Ali signed an agreement with Sir Ian Blair, then Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, which stated: "The Commissioner will recognise the MSF as the principal body in relation to Muslim community safety and security."^[1] By this agreement, Sir Ian or his deputy were to meet Ali and the MSF at least twice a year and to hold monthly meetings with the MSF at "New Scotland Yard or other suitable premises".^[1] Met chiefs, including counter-terrorist commanders, were to attend the MSF's own meetings "whenever possible”.^[1] The Met were to "use the MSF as a consultation body to help formulate policy or practice" and "progress an annual plan of work through agreed priority workstreams," jointly led by Met and MSF representatives. These workstreams included counter-terrorism and "Islamophobia." Mr Ali was the MSF lead on counter-terrorism.^[1]

In the wake of the controversy about the abortive Forest Gate raid in summer 2006, the Met also agreed to set up a four-man panel with the MSF, with Ali as one of the panel, to offer the Muslim community to scrutinise police intelligence.^[1]

Ali left the post of chairman in 2008, then, having been appointed the MSF treasurer, ^[1] resigned entirely from MSF in 2009 after publicity over his extremist comments. However he remained a trustee and director of the MSF. ^[1] In July 2010 he was reinstated as MSF’s chairman. ^[2]

The MSF has been described in The Jewish Chronicle as "an extremist group dominated by Islamists who support Hamas".^[3]

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