8. Joint memorandum submitted by Tony
McNulty MP, Joan Ryan MP, Peter Luff MP, Stephen Pound MP, Keith
Vaz MP, Laura Moffatt MP, Karen Buck MP and Barry Gardiner MP
"TERRORISM AND
COMMUNITY RELATIONS"
BY JAGDEESH
SINGH
In response to the above extract from your Committee's
proceedings of the 16 November 2004 on "Terrorism and Community
Relations", we wish to draw to your attention the following
element of Mr Singh's response to Q164:
". . . One thing that we would add, and
add very forcefully, is that in this country while the British
Government see fit to do what it has done in terms of anti-terrorism—banning
various organisations and so forth—one thing very puzzlingly
it consistently has done is allow a prominent organisation, the
VHP, to continue to function from North London from a prominent
location ie the Neasden Hindu Temple . . . It functions from premises
and not just any premises but the most prominent Hindu premises
you could find in the whole of London—the Neasden Temple
in London."
No organisation has its headquarters or any
such office or operation in Neasden. We are very concerned that
this entirely false accusation goes unchallenged. The Trustees
too are rightly concerned that the appearance of the minutes of
evidence, unchallenged, on the Committee's website could, albeit,
erroneously, lend credence to such a falsehood—which, without
doubt, could cause some difficulties between communities.
We are writing to you and your fellow Committee
members, to ask how this factual inaccuracy can be challenged
and corrected. We would ask that this letter be taken as part
of your evidence and used to counter Mr Singh's false claim, and
additionally we seek your advice as to how the wider impression,
falsely rendered, of the work of the Swaminarayan Hindu Mission's
work can be contested, challenged and ultimately corrected.
13 December 2004
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