PARIS, July 11 (IslamOnline.net) – The vile campaign of the Zionist lobby in Britain against the visit of prominent Muslim scholar Sheikh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi has backfired and cemented the position of British Muslims in the society, said a political analyst.

"The Muslim community would have been much vulnerable if the government had bowed to [anti-Muslim] pressures. The government's stand has, in effect, given much confidence and strength to the Muslim community," Zaher Berawi, the director of the London-based Political Perspective Centre, told IslamOnline.net correspondent in Paris.

Grunwald met senior officers at Scotland Yard to present an alleged "dossier" against the veteran scholar.

"We have advised the Metropolitan Police that there is insufficient evidence that a criminal offence has been committed," ruled the CPS.

"If the visit ended as planned, it would give a major momentum and weight to MAB as the most important Muslim organization in Britain and prompt political parties to court it in any local elections," he added.

"More and more, the concurrent highlighting by British newspapers of Qaradawi's position regarding Palestinian martyr operations exposes those who stand behind this vicious campaign against the venerable scholar and the MAB, the organizer of his visit."

The expert said that the character assassination of Qaradawi is also designed to pressure the scholar into reversing his fatwas (religious edicts) on Palestinian resistance.

He added that the diatribe might have come in response to a MAB's campaign against the last year's visit of Israeli Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz to London.

The MAB had urged British authorities to arrest the top Israeli brass on charges of war criminals, forcing him to hastily pack and leave.

Berawi underlined, however, that the anti-Qaradawi campaign has yielded positive outcome.

"It will raise the awareness of the British Muslims about how important their votes in elections are, give a voice to the moderate Islamic vision championed by Sheikh Qaradawi, which calls for integration into society, and steadfastly defend their interests," he said.

"The government's stance could shine up its badly tarnished image in the eyes of British Muslims and undo some of its minuses due its subordination to the United States in its invasion of Iraq," he added.

Sheikh Qaradawi has condemned those who judged his works without having read them.

Addressing 3,500 worshippers during Friday prayers in London's Central Mosque, the scholar said he was being misrepresented.

He further accused some parties of the press of deliberately distorting his views without trying or even caring to read any of his books and lectures, or watching his frequent TV appearances.

The current row over Qaradawi's visit to Britain was sparked by a British MP, who urged Home Secretary David Blunkett to deny the renowned scholar access to London.

Louise Ellman, Labour member for Liverpool Liverside, is a member of the Labour Friends of Israel group and had delivered several speeches before Israeli groups in London like Poale Zion.