The Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) has elected as its leader a doctor who campaigned against the Labour Party during last year's general election.
Wajid Akhter, a general practitioner, defeated another doctor, Muhammad Adrees, to become Secretary General of the MCB in an election on Saturday. Established in 1998, the council describes itself as the UK's largest Muslim umbrella organisation, with more than 500 members.
Both Dr Andrees and Dr Akhter were vocal supporters of The Muslim Vote, a campaign launched during last year’s general election to mobilise Muslims against Labour.
The campaign said it would endorse alternative candidates who had voted for a ceasefire in Gaza, encouraging British Muslims to vote for them.
Labour lost four seats to independent candidates endorsed by the campaign, including Khalid Mahmood, the UK’s longest-standing Muslim MP, and nearly a third of Muslim votes over its stance on Gaza.
Both Dr Adrees and Dr Akhter have faced criticism in a think tank report for some of their aired views.
The Policy Exchange think tank reported earlier this month that Dr Adrees, a consultant physician in the NHS, had voiced support for the regime in Iran.
It noted a piece he had written for a 2017 issue of the publication Islam Today, which included a reference to Iran's former supreme leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.
Dr Adrees wrote that a visit to Khomeini's former home during a trip to Iran "took my thoughts to the time of Iranian Revolution when the great leader led the nation to its destiny".
In a statement following the Policy Exchange report, Dr Adrees said: "I categorically do not endorse the Iranian state regime nor do I have any affiliation with them."
In his manifesto to stand as MCB leader, Dr Akhter noted that international Muslim groups he was in contact with during the pandemic did not know about the "fact that the Government did not speak to us".
He has vowed to "transform the structure, strategy, funding and culture" of the MCB, and for the organisation to be a "unifying force" in the Muslim community.
Dr Akhter has rejected claims that he previously suggested faith should come before nation, insisting it is not a "binary choice".
In a letter published in the The Telegraph newspaper, in response to the contents of the same Policy Exchange report, he wrote: "Being British is a cultural and national identity while being Muslim is a matter of faith – these are not mutually exclusive, nor are they in conflict."
Dr Akhter succeeds outgoing secretary-general Zara Mohammed, who made history when she was chosen to head the MCB in 2021, becoming the first woman and youngest person to take on the role at the age of just 29. She has since served two consecutive two-year terms.
The MCB has not had contact with the UK government since 2009 and successive political administrations have followed a policy of non-engagement. Former Labour prime minister Gordon Brown broke contact with the MCB after its deputy leader signed a letter which ministers said condoned attacks on British forces.
They were restored the following year after the MCB stated its opposition to violence, but more recently both the Conservative and Labour administrations have refused any official engagement.
The election of Dr Akhter comes as prominent British Muslims are backing a new national body that will speak to the government about issues affecting the UK's Muslim communities.
Called the British Muslim Network, it is cofounded by Julie Siddiqi, a well-known interfaith and women's campaigner, sources familiar with the organisation told The National.
Labour minister Alex Norris confirmed to Parliament in August that the Government's policy not to engage remained unchanged and that there were no plans for ministers to meet the MCB.
