The chorus of disapproval and contempt which greeted the appointment of Sara Khan as the new Commissioner for Countering Extremism was perhaps, sadly, predictable.
The skewed coverage of her appointment in the mainstream media was really outrageous, and very well covered in this article.
Frustratingly it is of course impossible to express support for this excellent appointment without offering fuel to her opponents, given most of them are unlikely to be any keener on Harry’s Place than they are on Sara Khan. One of her critics for example, noted meaningfully that the appointment had the support of Quilliam, the Henry Jackson Society and the National Secular Society.
Of course some Muslims welcome the appointment, but it’s still genuinely dispiriting to reflect that someone who has always seemed to me measured, reasonable, constructive, very actively opposed to the far right, and very clear in her focus on Islamism, not Islam, should be seen as beyond the pale. (By contrast, while I like Maajid Nawaz, I can at least see why he might put people’s backs up.)
