The Conservative Party has proved itself a "foe" of Muslim charities after denying them a platform to speak at its conference, Sir Stephen Bubb of Acevo said yesterday.

Bubb was speaking at an event entitled Muslim Charities: Friend or Foe? which took place outside the secure zone of the conference.

The event was organised by Acevo, the infrastructure body for charity leaders, and the Muslim Charities Forum, after a planned event at the Conservative Party Conference was cancelled by the party without notice or explanation.

The cancellation came after the Daily Telegraph alleged that one of the speakers at the Acevo event had connections with terrorism.

Bubb, the chief executive of Acevo, said the question in the event's title “has already been answered by Conservative organisers as foe”.

“What sort of message does that send?” he said, “Mainstream regulated charities have been excluded from the debate.”

He said he hoped it was “a stupid decision by conference organisers” and not a reflection of the whole party’s attitude to Muslim charities.

“If it is then we have much more serious problems,” he added.

Muslim charity leaders said they still hoped to engage with the party.

Othman Moqbel, chief executive of Human Appeal and trustee of the Muslim Charities Forum, said he had previously attended party conferences and “engaged in the discussions” as he did this year and has taken part in events at the conference.

“We have been engaging and are willing to work with all those willing to reach out and build a better future,” he said.

He added that the Conservative strapline of “security, stability and opportunity” was something that he identified with.

In response to a question from Paul Farmer, chief executive of Mind and chair of Acevo, about what the rest of the charity sector could do to help, Moqbel said: “We have a shared responsibility and we should all do more to go out and build bridges in the sector.”

He added: “Sometimes you are in a better position at the big charities to open doors.”

Jehangir Malik, director of Islamic Relief, said that holding events at the party conferences was his idea because “I would rather the debate was not just happening in the mosques”.

Don’t smile in photos

Lord Mohammed Amin, chair of the Conservative Muslim Forum, also attended the event.

He told Muslim charities that appearances are important.

He said that it is almost impossible to avoid dealing with Hamas if you are trying to get aid into Gaza, and that their leaders will try to take photos with you.

“You don’t have to look as though you’re enjoying it,” he said.