Leading article: Islam and the pluralist state

It would be easy to criticise the Government's plan to fund a new independent board of Islamic theologians to advise the Muslim community about the tricky issues faith provokes in a modern pluralist society. Hardline secularists yesterday trotted out familiar arguments about the separation of church and state while, at the other extreme, Muslims such as Azzam Tamimi — who has sought to justify suicide bombings — were accusing ministers of trying to create state-sponsored Islam.