SHIRAZ MAHER

Regular readers of this blog will have noticed my absence for the last few weeks. I wasn't able to blog because I have been travelling on assignment for this magazine. My Dispatch will appear in the next edition of Standpoint.

I'm currently lining up a few blogs for later but this piece on Harry's Place just caught my attention and needed uploading immediately. It is an excellent - and, in places, hilarious - deconstruction of MPAC's triumphalist claims about their influence during the recent general election.

From Harry's Place:

The Muslim Public Affairs Committee campaigned against seven sitting MPs in the General Election, on the grounds that they were variously "Zio-Nazis", "pro-war Zionists" or just all-round Islamophobes. Three of these MPs lost their seats, much to the delight of MPAC, who naturally (but not very convincingly) claimed the credit.

Let's look a little closer at MPAC's successes for anti-Zionism.

In Watford, they campaigned against the Labour MP Claire Ward, who was beaten by Tory Richard Harrington...better known as the most recent Chairman of Conservative Friends of Israel.

In Hendon, they campaigned against Labour's Andrew Dismore, who was beaten by the Conservative's Matthew Offord. Dismore was definitely pro-Israel, but guess what? So is Offord. Perhaps even more so.

MPAC's other 'success' was in Bradford East, where Labour's Terry Rooney lost his seat. Rooney is not only virtually unknown in the world of pro-Israel activism, he even signed the Palestine Solidarity Campaign's election pledge, endorsing an arms embargo and economic sanctions against Israel.

Way to go, MPAC!

You couldn't make it up.

Incidentally, it seems that MPAC is being reported to the equalities and human rights commission - and not a moment too soon.