"The MCB itself, though not in receipt of government funding, has consistently spoken in favour of British values that acknowledge universal human rights and pluralism," said Murad.
Khurshid Ahmed, the chairman of the BMF, says that it represents far more mosques than the MCB now.
The MCB, for its part, is wary that over-cosy ties with officialdom may cost it credibility in its own community.
As well as the MCB, the BMF, the al-Khoei Foundation (which represents Britain's few Shia Muslims) and the MAB are all involved.The MAB, meanwhile, has undergone an internal split pitting the pious against the political firebrands.
Consequently, however, the MCB looks to some like a toady of the government.The authorities in Paris have, if anything, gone even further than those in London in trying to co-opt and co-operate with the mainstream of their country's Muslim community.
After much internal wrangling, the MCB decided to end its stay-away policy in December 2007, only to reinstate it in 2009 in protest against Israeli actions in Gaza.
Once the chief interlocutor between Muslims and the government, the MCB has fallen from favour, and so has the whole idea of the government having a privileged Muslim partner.Some observers have been dubious about the MCB since its founding in 1997, saying no group can speak on behalf of Britain's 2.8m Muslims.
Having the MCB as a clear voice, articulating Muslims' views, is still helpful, insists David Blunkett, a former Labour home secretary.Those within the council blame the declining relationship between officials and organised Islam on the coalition government.
It has chosen to deal mostly with the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB), an umbrella-group with which most significant Muslim organisations including some radical ones are affiliated.
That could just be because during Labour's time in office, the MCB leaders had to do a lot of everyday horse-trading with people like Mr Khan (a former communities minister) and they expect to engage in similar dealmaking in future.
The government's "monologue with the MCB" is over, says Tahir Abbas, of Birmingham University.Proof came in August 2005, when the government asked four Muslim groups to help with "Preventing Extremism Together", a programme to root out radicals from Britain's mosques.
