A senior Muslim civil servant has launched an astonishing verbal onslaught against the Government over its response to Israel's military strikes in Gaza - and has suggested that killing British troops in Iraq is justified.
Treasury official Azad Ali, president of the Civil Service Islamic Society, now faces the sack over the remarks.
Cabinet Secretary Sir Gus O'Donnell - who is the patron of the society - acted immediately after being alerted to the comments by The Mail on Sunday. Shortly after this newspaper contacted the Cabinet Office, a senior official disclosed that Mr Ali had been suspended for the remarks made on his personal internet blog. In it he: Quotes an Islamic extremist who says it is his 'obligation' to kill British and American soldiers in Iraq;
Accuses the Government of failing to condemn the 'Zionist terrorist state of Israel'; and
Attacks moderate British Muslims as 'self-serving vultures, feeding on the dead flesh of the Palestinians'. The Treasury lists Mr Ali's title as 'Business Partner'. He is understood to work as an IT administrator.
On the Civil Service Islamic Society's official website, Mr Ali declares that it is bound by strict rules that say Whitehall special-interest groups must be 'non-partisan and non-political' and act with 'honesty, impartiality and integrity'.
But there is no such restraint on his personal blog, which highlights his civil service role and provides a link to its Whitehall website. |