Sajid Javid slammed the 'unrepresentative' Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) today as he dismissed claims of widespread Islamophobia in the Conservative Party. The stinging rebuke came after the MCB demanded an inquiry into 'racists and bigots' in the party, highlighting a series of alleged incidents involving activists. Former Tory chair Baroness Warsi also backed an investigation last week, complaining that the party tended to 'shrug its shoulders' over such claims. But asked about the issue on the BBC's Andrew Marr show today, Mr Javid pointed out that he had been made Home Secretary in a Tory government - and questioned whether the MCB was a legitimate voice for the muslim community. Sajid Javid slammed the 'unrepresentative' Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) today as he dismissed claims of widespread Islamophobia in the Conservative Party Mr Javid - who is from a muslim background but non-practising - said the government and the previous Labour administration had a policy of not 'dealing with' the MCB 'I have got a lot of time for Baroness Warsi, but I am afraid I don't agree with her,' he said. 'As you just described me, I am Sajid Javid, I am the Home Secretary in this country... 'The MCB does not represent muslims in this country. You find me a group of muslims that are represented by the MCB.' Mr Javid - who is from a muslim background but non-practising - said there were issues of 'anti-muslim hatred' as well as anti-Semitism in the UK. But he said the government and the previous Labour administration had a policy of not 'dealing with' the MCB. He suggested members of the council had made 'favourable' remarks about extremists in the past. In a letter to Tory chairman Brandon Lewis last week, the MCB highlighted allegations Harrow MP Bob Blackman was a member of Facebook groups containing Islamophobia and said the party was suspending members weekly. The letter also accuses the Harrow MP of hosting Hindu nationalist Tapan Ghosh, who has been accused Islamophobia, in Parliament, and of retweeting far-right activist Tommy Robinson. Mr Blackman has denied all allegations of Islamophobia levelled against him, including that he chose to join any Facebook groups containing Islamophobia. Muslim Council of Britain general secretary Harun Khan wrote to party chairman Brandon Lewis demanding an investigation into Isamophobic incidents MCB general secretary Harun Khan said they were 'more than weekly occurrences of Islamophobia' in April. They ranged from allegedly offensive tweets to accusations of links to far-right figures. Recent cases included the Wokingham town mayor Peter Lucey who stood down last month after it was revealed he had 'liked' social media pages linked to Tommy Robinson and right-wing Dutch politician Geert Wilders. Lady Warsi - who was party chair between 2010 and 2012 - told Sky News last week that Islamaphobia 'was an issue for us long before the issue of anti-Semitism within the Labour Party became public'. She said: 'I've raised this issue with successive chairman, I've raised the matter informally, I've raised it formally, I've had meetings about it, I've even written to the prime minister. 'I wrote to her last year about this issue, and each time it seems that we've kind of said 'yes, we take these issues very seriously' and then shrugged our shoulders and moved on. 'What's really concerning for me is that the frequency of these incidents seems to be now increasing, whether that's because there's now more public awareness about reporting these issues. 'I hope, sincerely, the party now will deal with it.' A Conservative Party spokesman said last week: 'We take all such incidents seriously, which is why we have suspended all those who have behaved inappropriately and launched immediate investigations.'<doc-sep>Home Secretary Sajid Javid sparked a row with the Muslim Council of Britain after he rejected their call for an independent inquiry into allegations of Islamophobia within the Conservative Party. Demanding action from Conservative Party chairman Brandon Lewis last week, the council said the last month it had seen weekly incidents of Islamophobia from Conservative representatives and candidates. Former Tory chair Baroness Warsi backed up the claims and suggested there is a "simmering anti-Muslim underbelly of Islamophobia within the party". However, Mr Javid, appearing on the BBC's Andrew Marr Show, dismissed the Conservative peer's comments, as he pointed to his Muslim background. He said: "For a start, let's just look at who the home secretary is in this country. My name is Sajid Javid, I'm the home secretary." Advertisement Mr Javid also dismissed the demand for an investigation, adding: "The Muslim Council of Britain does not represent Muslims in this country. You find me a group of Muslims that thinks they're represented by the MCB. "I would be very suspicious of anything that they've got to say not least because, under the last Labour government - and a policy continued by us - we don't deal with the MCB. "We don't deal with it because too many of their members have had favourable comments on extremists and that's not acceptable." Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player Baroness: Islamophobia 'rise' in Tory party In response, Harun Khan, the MCB's secretary general, claimed Mr Javid had "chosen to shoot the messenger" rather than address their "serious concerns". Suggesting Mr Javid had attempted to "smear" his group, Mr Khan said: "We have identified real weekly cases of Islamophobia in the Conservative Party, which the party has even acknowledged by suspending members. "These real concerns of Islamophobia are shared by two Conservative Muslim peers, as well as voices across the spectrum, many of them Conservatives. "If the response is to instead attack the Muslim Council of Britain, it sadly indicates that the party has no interest in dealing with this matter with the seriousness it deserves. "We have long spoken out and proactively challenged terrorism and extremism, as have British Muslims across the country. "The reality of Islamophobia is that Muslims and the Muslim Council of Britain have to deal with the smear of extremism even though they have clearly and consistently condemned violence perpetrated by people who claim to do this in the name of our religion."<doc-sep>Get US and UK politics insight with our free daily email briefing straight to your inbox Invalid Email Something went wrong, please try again later. Sign up Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice The Conservative Party has been urged to launch an independent inquiry into Islamophobia to make sure "racists and bigots have no place in the party". The Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) has written to party chairman Brandon Lewis, highlighting a string of incidents by Tory candidates and other representatives. In the open letter, MCB general secretary Harun Khan said they were "more than weekly occurrences of Islamophobia" in April. They ranged from allegedly offensive tweets to accusations of links to far-right figures. (Image: Sky) Mr Khan also highlighted the campaign run by Zac Goldsmith in his unsuccessful bid to beat Labour's Sadiq Khan to become Mayor of London in 2016, saying there had been no action taken against those responsible for "shocking Islamophobia" during the campaign. Mr Khan added: "We want all political parties to ensure that they are firm in their commitment against all forms of bigotry and discrimination. "Our democracy should not be overshadowed by a divisive culture within political parties that scapegoats minorities and alienates some who share similar political positions." Former Tory cabinet minister Baroness Warsi told the Independent a review was "long overdue". Lady Warsi, who earlier this year told MPs Islamophobia was widespread in the UK, said: "I have raised my concerns about Islamophobic comments and campaigning for more than two years and have done so formally and informally including a letter to the Prime Minister. (Image: REUTERS/Suzanne Plunkett) "The party has been aware of the issue at the highest level and has failed to take the issue seriously and at times even denied its very existence. "A formal inquiry is now long overdue and I hope my party send a very clear message by establishing this inquiry that bigotry will not be tolerated in a modern Conservative party." A Conservative Party spokesman said: "We take all such incidents seriously, which is why we have suspended all those who have behaved inappropriately and launched immediate investigations."<doc-sep>Muslim Council of Britain general secretary Harun Khan has written to party chairman Brandon Lewis, highlighting a string of incidents by Tory candidates and other representatives The Conservative Party has been urged to launch an independent inquiry into Islamophobia to make sure 'racists and bigots have no place in the party'. The Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) has written to party chairman Brandon Lewis, highlighting a string of incidents by Tory candidates and other representatives. It highlighted allegations Harrow MP Bob Blackman was a member of Facebook groups containing Islamophobia and said the party was suspending members weekly. The letter also accuses the Harrow MP of hosting Hindu nationalist Tapan Ghosh, who has been accused Islamophobia, in Parliament, and of retweeting far-right activist Tommy Robinson. Mr Blackman denies the claims against him. In the letter, MCB general secretary Harun Khan said they were 'more than weekly occurrences of Islamophobia' in April. They ranged from allegedly offensive tweets to accusations of links to far-right figures. Recent cases included the Wokingham town mayor Peter Lucey who stood down last month after it was revealed he had 'liked' social media pages linked to Tommy Robinson and right-wing Dutch politician Geert Wilders. He also shared Islamophobic content online. Mr Lucey apologised for posts which he said were 'not appropriate'. Newcastle council candidate Nick Sundin was suspended last month over a series of tweets including one from 2012 in which he described the prophet Mohammed as a 'f***ing paedophile'. Karen Sunderland was suspended as a Conservative council candidate in Lewisham, south London earlier this month over tweets in which she mocked the hijab and called Islam 'the new Nazism'. In the letter (pictured) Mr Khan said they were 'more than weekly occurrences of Islamophobia' in April Tory chairman Brandon Lewis (file image) was urged to call an independent inquiry into how Islamophobia complaints are handled by the party David Boston was suspended as a council candidate in Enfield, north London, earlier this month after posting a picture of bacon hanging on a door handle as a way to 'protect your house from terrorism'. Who are the Muslim Council of Britain? The Muslim Council of Britain is a nationwide organisation for 500 affiliated mosques, schools and associations. It has national, regional and local representatives and aims to speak for the different ethnic and sectarian groups within the British Muslim community - but faces claims from many Muslims it does not speak for them. The MCB has been mired in controversy on several occasions for statements issued on Holocaust Memorial Day and homosexuality. Despite criticism of its views, the MCB has received significant grants of public money from the Government. The MCB's first Secretary General, Sir Iqbal Sacranie, was knighted in 2005. Advertisement Last week the Tories expelled North Lanarkshire councillor Stephen Goldsack after it emerged that he had formerly been a British National Party activist. Mr Khan also highlighted the campaign run by Zac Goldsmith in his unsuccessful bid to beat Labour's Sadiq Khan to become Mayor of London in 2016, saying there had been no action taken against those responsible for 'shocking Islamophobia' during the campaign. Mr Khan added: 'We want all political parties to ensure that they are firm in their commitment against all forms of bigotry and discrimination. 'Our democracy should not be overshadowed by a divisive culture within political parties that scapegoats minorities and alienates some who share similar political positions.' Mr Khan's warnings of Islamophobia among some Conservatives comes after months of fury about alleged anti-Semitism by Labour figures and claims Jeremy Corbyn has been reluctant to act on them. Warnings of Islamophobia among some Conservatives comes after months of fury about alleged anti-Semitism in Labour and claims Jeremy Corbyn (pictured last week in Northern Ireland) has been reluctant to act on them Jewish community leaders including Members of the Board of Deputies (file image from left to right) Gillian Merron, Jonathan Arkush, Jonathan Goldstein, and Simon Johnson have condemned Mr Corbyn for failing to address anti-Semitism in his party Former Tory cabinet minister Baroness Warsi told the Independent a review was 'long overdue'. Lady Warsi, who earlier this year told MPs Islamophobia was widespread in the UK, said: 'I have raised my concerns about Islamophobic comments and campaigning for more than two years and have done so formally and informally including a letter to the Prime Minister. 'The party has been aware of the issue at the highest level and has failed to take the issue seriously and at times even denied its very existence. 'A formal inquiry is now long overdue and I hope my party send a very clear message by establishing this inquiry that bigotry will not be tolerated in a modern Conservative party.' Former Tory chairwoman Sayeeda Warsi endorsed calls for an inquiry. She has previously warned the Conservatives have an Islamophobia problem among some members Mr Blackman has denied allegations of Islamophobia levelled against him, including that he chose to join any Facebook groups containing Islamophobia. He told Sky News: 'I utterly refute this allegation. I was added to Facebook groups without my knowledge or permission and immediately removed myself from them when I became aware I had been added. 'I did not host Tapan Ghosh in parliament. He was invited by an organisation without my knowledge. 'In the past I shared a social media post in error which I apologised for at the time. I will continue working will all communities in my constituency and I condemn Islamophobia.' A Conservative Party spokesman said: 'We take all such incidents seriously, which is why we have suspended all those who have behaved inappropriately and launched immediate investigations.' Conservative MP Bob Blackman denies allegations against made by the Muslim Council of Britain<doc-sep>
H ome Secretary Sajid Javid was today embroiled in a bitter a row with one of Britain’s biggest Muslim bodies over allegations of Islamophobia in the Conservative Party. Mr Javid hit out at the Muslim Council of Britain, accusing it of harbouring members with unacceptable views on extremism. He said the MCB, an umbrella body for 500 mosques, schools and associations in Britain, did not represent the country’s Muslim community. His comments came after the MCB called for an inquiry into Islamophobia in the Tories, after a string of alleged incidents involving candidates and representatives of the party. Criticism: Sajid Javid hit out at the MCB / PA But Mr Javid told the BBC: “The Muslim Council of Britain does not represent Muslims in this country. You find me a group of Muslims that thinks that they're represented by the MCB. "I would be very suspicious of anything that they've got to say, not least because under the last Labour government and a policy continued by us, we don't deal with the MCB and we don't deal with it because too many of their members have had you know, comments on extremists and that's not acceptable." The MCB's general secretary, Harun Khan, last week told Mr Lewis that there were "more than weekly occurrences of Islamophobia" by Tory figures in April. Mr Khan also highlighted alleged Islamophobia in the campaign run by Zac Goldsmith in his unsuccessful bid to beat Labour's Sadiq Khan to become Mayor of London in 2016. On Sunday, Mr Khan said the Home Secretary had "chosen to shoot the messenger". He added: "If the response is to instead attack the Muslim Council of Britain, it sadly indicates that the party has no interest in dealing with this matter with the seriousness it deserves. "We have long spoken out and proactively challenged terrorism and extremism, as have British Muslims across the country.