Recently a judge ruled that the BBC would not have to pay any libel damages to Imam Shakeel Begg of Lewisham Islamic Centre for calling him an “extremist”.

What was so disturbing was the way the Imam’s words (which were from public speeches, not secret recordings) were decontextualised and treated as cryptic messages that were hiding his true, “extremist” views.

But this judgement is about more than just Imam Shakeel Begg – it is about active Muslims who dare to criticise a political establishment who have treated Muslims with disdain at home and abroad.

One line in the judgement which really shows how active Muslims are viewed by the establishment is:

“On occasions when it has suited him…he has shed the cloak of respectability and revealed the horns of extremism.”

This is a common charge against active Muslims like Imam Shakeel Begg – that they hide their true intentions, to subvert “British Values” and destroy this country from within. As if we’re all just operatives who only protest the “War on Terror” because we want to rule the country with an iron-fist (our protests couldn’t possibly have something to do with torture, drone strikes or loss of human life, eh?).

The judge also said: “Shakeel Begg, is something of a Jekyll and Hyde character”.

Just think about how stupid this “Jekyll and Hyde” comparison is: what advantage would a ‘two-faced’ “extremist” gain from being a publicly integral part of a stable society, if his hidden agenda is to destroy it?

Why work tirelessly to bring people together if the aim is to live by an “Us and Them” mindset?

It doesn’t make any sense.

The “Jekyll and Hyde” comment completely disregards Imam Shakeel’s decades of community service and turns it into a footnote of his character when it is actually one of the defining aspects.

The only “Jekyll and Hyde character” is the BBC and the likes of Andrew Neil.

On one hand the BBC represents itself as being an impartial broadcaster, when in reality it is a pro-war mouthpiece of Government policy and, to use the words of famous screenwriter, Jimmy McGovern, “one of the most racist institutions in England”.

The court ruling shows that, if you are a Muslim who dares to criticise the injustices that exist today that you will be maligned, you will be told what your own words really mean and be labelled an “extremist” – a charge that has serious repercussions when one considers the Government’s draconian counter-extremism measures.

The BBC, and those who welcome the court’s decision, should be ashamed for dragging Imam Shakeel’s name through the mud.

MPACUK would like to make it clear that we support Imam Shakeel Begg – he is not a duplicitous character who seeks to divide society. Rather, he is a role model for others who want to address local, national and international issues facing us all.

A warning to Muslims – if you think this is just about ‘Salafis’ or any other ‘sect’ that YOU don’t belong to then you are in for a shock. Do not fall for the trap of saying this is about “those” Muslims and lull yourself into a false sense of security. This is an issue facing us all. The propaganda message that says Islam is the “other” and a threat to “British Values” doesn’t differentiate between different sects of Islam.

Imam Shakeel Begg supports Muslims when they are victims of injustice – he should be supported in these testing times too to show that he is not alone.