On 3 January 2008, 63 supposedly separate individuals and Muslim organisations urged Muslim Londoners to vote for Ken Livingstone in his re-election campaign later this year. The BBC described these groups as representing 'the overwhelming majority of Muslims in London'. In fact just under half of the signatories failed to disclose their affiliation to one of two Muslim groups - the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) and the Muslim Association of Britain (MAB) - both of which have links to fundamentalist organisations. Furthermore several signatories have little or no connection to London or have been employed by the Mayor's office.
The letter, urging Muslims to vote for Ken Livingstone in the upcoming elections for the Mayor of London, was published on the Guardian's website. It reads:
"Ken Livingstone has been an outstanding mayor of London. He has stood out in support of a multicultural society and has supported the Muslim communities of the city against racism and Islamophobia as well as all other minorities against all types of prejudice.
"His stands and policies have constantly championed justice in the Middle East and around the world, freedom for the Palestinians and withdrawal of occupying troops from Iraq; a rare trait of modern-day public figures.
"He has enhanced London's standing in the world and helped improve the lives of all of the city's communities.
"For those and many more traits continuously and consistently demonstrated by the Ken Livingstone, we the undersigned believe that it is in the best interest of the Muslim communities of London, and indeed all Londoners, to back Mr Livingstone in this year's mayoral elections.
Of the 63 signatories 22 of them (over a third) have worked for, represented or been backed by just two Muslim groups - the MCB, many of whose key members are closely linked to the fundamentalist Pakistani party Jamaat-e-Islam and the MAB, which is the British arm of the Muslim Brotherhood. At least 5 others have worked for other groups or mosques closely linked to these organisations. Read the full press release here.
The writers of the letter appear to have deliberately concealed the primary affiliations of many of the signatories with the aim of attempting to show that Ken Livingstone's re-election campaign is supported by a wide range of Muslims groups who, in the words of the BBC, "represent the overwhelming majority of Muslims in London". In fact this is not the case, these groups represent just a fraction of Muslims in London and exclude many groups - such as Shias and Ahmadis - which radical Sunni movements habitually disagree with.
The close relationship between Ken Livingstone and reactionary groups like the MCB and the MAB benefits both parties. In return for encouraging Muslims to vote for Ken Livingstone, these two groups gain influence within and support from the Mayor's office in order to better entrench their position as self-appointed representatives of the Muslim community.