Who's the 'moderate'?

Peter Bergen and Paul Cruickshank, in the latest issue of The New Republic, pull together evidence of a growing trend of various jihadist authorities criticizing Osama bin Laden. They are right to note this trend and to link it to growing disenchantment in Muslim countries, as it becomes clear that 'jihad' kills more Muslims, especially innocent men, women and children, than anyone else.

However, they then cite approvingly the role of the local chapter of the Muslim Association of Britain (MAB), a Muslim Brotherhood organization, in re-opening and 'de-radicalizing' the notorious Finsbury Park mosque formerly run by Abu Hamza. They see the role of MAB and its leader, Kamal El Helbawy, as positive; here Melanie Phillips argues the opposite (her piece also has a link to the TNR article). She argues that "he is the main Muslim Brotherhood man in Britain and Europe - and thus central to the whole strategy of indoctrination and radicalisation of Britain's Muslims and the demoralisation with menaces of the indigenous community..."

As for Bergen and Cruickshank: "They have fallen into the trap of believing that the only extremists are al Qaeda and others who support terrorism in Britain...there are Islamists who oppose al Qaeda and terrorist action in the UK as a tactical mistake but nevertheless subscribe to the same strategic goal - to restore the medieval Caliphate, overturn British and western society and institute the rule of Islam instead."