London Community Coalition

This website has been created to explain the fears and dismay felt by representatives of community and faith-based groups in London following Mayor Ken Livingstone's public embrace of Sheikh Qaradawi. During Qaradawi's visit to London in July 2004 many diverse groups in the capital voiced their opposition to the Mayor's actions and public association with Sheikh Qaradawi. Unfortunately, the Mayor's response was far from adequate and sought to conflate specific criticisms of Sheikh Qaradawi with criticism of Islam as a whole.

I only have eyes...for you

Following Mayor Livingstone's invitation to Qaradawi to return to London, these groups formed a loose coalition which wrote to the Mayor seeking a meeting with him to express the depths of their concern, and to present evidence about Sheikh Qaradawi which they felt deserved further consideration. The Mayor ignored this letter for a significant period of time, and finally responded in belligerent terms, and refused to meet with the group.

As a result of the Mayor's refusal to meet with representatives of many of London's communities and faith-based groups, the coalition decided to make public the concerns and evidence that they would have presented to the Mayor had a meeting taken place. This documentation was provided to members of the London Assembly together with a request that they exercise their right to scrutinise the actions of the Mayor to examine the many questions raised by this affair. As a result many members of the media, and the general public have requested copies of the documentation and correspondence with the Mayor. In the interest of transparency and open debate the relevant materials have been posted on this website.