Muslim leaders have accused Prime Minister David Cameron and his Cabinet colleague Eric Pickles of adopting the mindset of the far-right by asking followers of Islam to prove their "British identity."
In an open letter to Downing Street, a leading campaigner said that Muslims were left feeling that their loyalty to Britain was being questioned after Pickles wrote to 1,000 imams and other Muslim leaders asking them to stress on the fact that being a British Muslim involved being "proud of your faith and proud of your country," reported The Independent.
Cameron too received flak for defending the letter by terming it "reasonable, sensible and moderate." He also suggested that anyone who disagreed with it "really has a problem."
Mohammed Shafiq, chief executive of the inter-faith Ramadhan Foundation, remarked that it was unfair to question the commitment of British Muslims especially after he along with others had been put on an Islamist death list for speaking against extremists.
He added that Cameron was "straying dangerously into the territory of suggesting that, as a British Muslim, if you don't agree with the Government then you have a problem."
The letter was sent by Pickles and co-signed by Conservative Muslim peer Lord Ahmad said that they were "proud" of the way British Muslims responded to the Paris attacks but added that there was "more work to do.