While neither the government, nor London’s mayor and Assembly, nor Newham council have yet expressed a syllable of concern over the fact that the Tablighi Jamaat — described by the FBI and French intelligence as the principal recruiters for al Qaeda in Europe — is behind plans to build the largest mosque in Europe on the site of the Olympic village, Muslims themselves have now spoken out against the proposal and warned that the mosque will be a site for Islamist extremism. The Times reported:

A petition against the scheme, organised by Muslims in the East London borough of Newham, attracted 2,500 signatures in only ten days and is continuing to draw support. It says that allowing Tablighi Jamaat to build the mosque would aggravate community tensions… Dr Irfan al-Alawi, Europe director of the Centre for Islamic Pluralism, is ‘extremely concerned’ about the spread of Tablighi Jamaat and recently addressed a seminar at the Policy Exchange think-tank about the mosque plans. ‘Tablighi are not moderate Muslims, they are a separatist movement,’ he said. ‘If this mosque were to go ahead it will be strictly run by the Tablighis; there will be no room for moderates.’ Asif Shakoor, chairman of Sunni Friends of Newham, said the petition was a response to a feeling that the voices of most Muslims in the area were not being heard. The petition text states: ‘We propose that when and if planning permission is granted . . . that all Muslim groups be equally represented at the proposed place of worship that is to celebrate the 2012 Olympic Games in London.’

Now that Muslims themselves have added their explicit voice to the local protests against the Tablighi Jamaat mosque, will the government finally listen? Or will it continue its policy of abandoning Muslims – along with everyone else – to the extremism that so threatens them, and which it has so consistently and shamefully appeased?