And he is Ed Husain’s new best friend, according to whom, Bunglawala…

“has risked much among entrenched, dinosaur Muslim “leaders” by publicly supporting gay rights, freedom of speech for Salman Rushdie and Geert Wilders, and challenging conventional narratives on creationism.”

But in spite of Bunglawala’s so-called metamorphosis from hidebound Islamist to easy-mannered liberal, he has issued this astonishing statement on Yusuf al-Qaradawi, the spiritual leader of the Muslim Brotherhood:

It is very unfortunate that Sheikh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi has been barred from visiting the UK since early 2007 by the British government, following pressure from pro-Israeli lobbies. Sheikh Al-Qaradawi is an Islamic scholar who commands huge respect among millions of Muslims worldwide.

For those unfamiliar with the old scholar who “commands huge respect among millions of Muslims worldwide”, here is some context:

This statement is not a sign Bunglawala has regressed. This is the same old wine in new bottles. If we are frank, we have always known he was partial to al-Qaradawi. All he has has done is simply re-articulated himself.

If he has covered any ground in his personal and political growth, it is from being a young antisemitic Muslim public figure all the way to being an older antisemitic Muslim public figure. Which is why we should be concerned if this is the man, who is on the cusp of being positioned by the John Denham’s office, is to represent Muslims in Britain.