Comment

I, LIKE most people in the borough, have recently received the spring edition of the Dudley Together magazine, a publication on behalf of Dudley Community Partnership, which has the logo stating "achieving together".

The chairman of Dudley Community Partnership is Kurshid Ahmed, who in the leader column hopes we will get a flavour of all the good things happening in the borough.

Mr Ahmed's personal contribution to those "good things" appears to be resurrecting the controversy concerning the proposed building of a mosque, an objective he has pursued as chairman of the Dudley Muslim Association.

I believe he no longer has the moral authority to remain as chairman of Dudley Community Partnership.

Anybody in such a position should have been aware that promoting the mosque as being "The pride of Dudley" would have upset the indigenous population.

Did he really believe a minaret would endear the building to local muslims?

And no one really believed him when he said the proposed building complex would benefit all sections of the community.

His statement that "democracy is dead" when councillors refused planning permission implies much about his attitude.

If he genuinely believes in community cohesion, why has he allowed this divisive issue, with its attendant costs, to be once more thrust upon the borough's inhabitants?

Perhaps his vision of community partnership is of minority imposing their will on the majority.

Keith Radburn Pensnett

2:25pm Friday 11th April 2008

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