Another 'moderate' Muslim flames out

Azad Ali, a senior British civil servant considered one of the UK's most prominent 'moderate' Muslims, has been suspended from his post because of virulent messages, including attacks on the UK government, that he posted on a blog. They include:

-- support for the idea that it is an obligation to kill U.S. and British soldiers in Iraq;

-- condemnation of the UK government for its failure to condemn the 'Zionist terrorist' state of Israel;

-- the depiction of moderate British Muslims as 'self-serving vultures, feeding on the dead flesh of the Palestinians.

So who is this guy? According to the Daily Mail,

'As a former chairman of the influential Muslim Safety Forum and the current head of its counter-terrorism work-team, he works with the Home Office, senior police officers and the Security Services trying to combat extremism...

He is also on the board of London CrimeStoppers and sits on the Metropolitan Police's Strategic Stop & Search Committee and Police Use of Firearms Group.

Mr Ali is a member of the Independent Police Complaints Commission's Community Advisory Group and the Home Office's Trust and Confidence Community Panel.'

Ali's 'moderate' facade seems to have collapsed during the Gaza conflict. Nor is he the only questionable moderate; see this earlier entry on Kamal El Helbawy. I guess the good news here is that Ali is so frustrated by the other British Muslims who do not share his views. (Thanks to Jihad Watch.)