Multiple Muslim preachers across the UK have used their Friday sermons to blame UK riots and unrest on "Zionists," The Telegraph's investigation found on Saturday.
During a week of violent clashes between far-right and Muslim protestors, several of the imams allegedly attributed the difficulties to a "Zionist agenda."Imam Ashraf Dabous at Lewisham Islamic Centre in south London said that Zionists were manipulating the riots in an August sermon.
"It is quite well known now, publicly, due to information that has been released online, that they are Zionists and they are supporters of the state of Israel,” he said about the rioters.“And that with the ground that has been lost over the past few months, something had to take place that would try to win some ground back for the Zionist agenda. And what better way than to paint the Muslims as being savages and killers and barbaric and so on and so forth – which in reality is a projection of the Zionist state itself.”
An imam in Blackburn told listeners that the leaders of the "acts of violence" were "Zionist people," The Telegraph added. Sheikh Ali Abbas Malik, speaking at Leicester's Masjid Al Husayn Mosque, called far-right figure Tommy Robinson a 'Zionist.' Robinson founded the English Defence League - an anti-immigrant group. He left the UK after being arrested for terrorism in July.
“Then you have Zionists such as Tommy Robinson, paid by, supported by the fathers of all genocides, the Zionist regime, to perpetuate these ideas amongst them.”Shaykh Mostahfiz Gani, on Aug 9, suggested “there is a link between Tommy Robinson and the IDF."
Haitham al-Haddad, in Greenwich Islamic Centre, said that rioters have a “Zionist” agenda and are attempting to “divert the attention” away from “condemning what the Zionist state Israel is doing.”
All of the mosques or Islamic religious centers mentioned are registered charities and, therefore, are governed by the Charity Commission.
Dangerous antisemitism
Dr Paul Stott, head of security and extremism at the think-tank Policy Exchange, said that attributing all social ills to "Zionists" has become ubiquitous across the political spectrum, with far-left and -right figures saying the same thing.
“This is an argument that doesn’t give much agency to those involved in the riots and committed criminal offences,” he said, according to The Telegraph.
“Instead it shifts the blame and creates this image of Israel as puppeteers. It puts forward a view of Israel and the Jews as all-powerful and manipulative. Trying to put blame on Israel in one way is pretty desperate, in another it reeks of antisemitism.”
Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “This pattern of blaming the riots on ‘Zionists’ is as alarming as it is prevalent.“According to our representative polling, an overwhelming majority of 80 percent of British Jews consider themselves to be Zionist, and only six percent do not. They know what these preachers mean when they say ‘Zionists’.“We urge the Charity Commission to investigate any charities that platform this sort of extremist rhetoric and divisive rhetoric, and we are submitting complaints whenever cases are brought to our attention. They cannot be left unchallenged.”
A spokesperson for the Charity Commission spokesman said: “We are aware of potential concerns at several charities relating to claims about the recent public disorder. We are assessing information to determine if there is a role for the Commission.”