Muslim lawmaker resigns from British cabinet over handling of Gaza

The first Muslim to serve in the British cabinet resigned Tuesday, citing the government’s “morally indefensible” approach to dealing with violence in Gaza.

Sayeed Warsi suggested that Prime Minister David Cameron’s outright refusal to condemn Israel’s attacks on Gaza was an outrage, the New York Times reported.

“Baroness Warsi’s resignation reflects the unease and anxiety in Parliament and in the country about the U.K. government’s president position” on the Israeli-Hamas conflict, said Sir Menzies Campbell, a former Liberal Democrat leader, the Times reported.

The head of the Muslim Council of Britain called Ms. Warsi’s decision to quit a “principled stand” and that she had “spoken on behalf of humanity,” the Times reported.

Ms. Warsi, 43, is a lawyer once regarded as the political bridge between Mr. Cameron and the Muslim community.

She wrote in her resignation letter: “My view has been that our policy in relation to the Middle East peace process — generally, but more recently our approach and language during the current crisis in Gaza — is morally indefensible, is not in Britain’s national interest and will have a long-term detrimental impact on our reputation internationally and domestically. I must be able to live with myself for the decisions I took or the decisions I supported. By staying in government at this time, I do not feel that I can be sure of that.”