Open letter accuses Board chief of ‘fanning flames’ of hate between communities
Jonathan Arkush criticised for opinion piece he wrote which calls for Muslims to 'stand up and be counted' after the London terror attacks
Board of Deputies’ president Jonathan Arkush has been sharply criticised for “fanning the flames of inter-community hatred” after he challenged Britain’s Muslim community to “stand up and be counted” after the London terror attack.
Almost 100 British Jews from various religious and community organisations wrote an angry open letter to Arkush after he penned an opinion piece in the aftermath of the terror attacks at London Bridge and Borough Market.
“Just as we as Jews have no responsibility for the actions of Jewish terrorist groups, Muslims are not personally responsible for the actions of groups such as ISIS,” read the letter, which had been signed by 96 people.
“It is deeply troubling to see a leader of the British Jewish community calling for the universal scrutiny of a religious group based on the actions of a tiny minority.”
Signatories included a member of the Board’s own executive committee, as well shul and youth groups representatives, plus senior members of the Union of Jewish Students and the Jewish Labour Movement.
Arkush drew their ire in an article published on Tuesday, in which he urged the Muslim community to “stage a huge rally of their own in a prominent location such as Trafalgar Square”.
In their fiery retort, the letter’s signatories this week said: “It is not for us to dictate how people in grieving communities should respond.”
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