One of the organisations planning the pro-Palestine march on Remembrance Day has hit out at a report linking the upcoming event to a man claimed to be a former Hamas leader.
Muhammad Kathem Sawalha, who founded the Muslim Association of Britain (MAB) in the late 1990s and worked as its director between 1999 and 2007, has “played no part in the organising of the recent protests”, the group said.
This denial comes after a report by the Telegraph reported the claim Mr Sawalha led Hamas in the West Bank in the 1980s.
The report also cited a BBC’s Panorama investigation dating back to 2006 in which it was alleged the man “masterminded much” of the political and military strategy of the group – a proscribed terror organisation in the UK.
The MAB founder was named as a co-conspirator in a US indictment for having allegedly helped bankroll Hamas, the report continued.
The British newspaper also reported the claim Mr Sawalha joined an official Hamas delegation to Moscow in 2019 and served on the Hamas politburo between 2013 and 2017.
The 62-year-old man was granted British citizenship in the early 2000s, the report read, and now lives in north London.
The MAB itself came under the attention of the British Government in a review carried out in 2015, in which it was claimed the organisation had been “dominated” by the Muslim Brotherhood – a transnational Sunni Islamist organisation influencing a number of Islamist movements and political parties. Hamas, which has been leading the Gaza Strip since 2006, has its roots in the Palestinian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood.
In its statement, the MAB said the report was “unfounded, sensationalist and inherently racist and Islamophobic”, as well as a “disservice to the genuine diversity and inclusivity that defines our coalition and protests”.
The upcoming protests, the organisation said, represent a “broad coalition involving six organisations, attracting diverse participants from all walks of life, various faiths, and different political leanings”.
Referring also to previous pro-Palestine marches that have taken place in the UK in recent weeks, the statement continued: “The Muslim Association of Britain rejects the ludicrous suggestion that one man, Mr Sawalha, has single-handedly orchestrated recent protests that have drawn hundreds of thousands each week. Moreover, Mr Sawalha has not been a member of the MAB leadership for nearly two decades and has played no part in the organising of the recent protests.”
Accusing the Muslim-led organisations that are part of the six-strong coalition of being linked to a proscribed group is “not only baseless but also indicative of a disturbing Islamophobic bias” within the media, the MAB added.
The protest, the group added, is a “peaceful attempt to ensure the British government fulfils its humanitarian duty and leads calls for a ceasefire so innocent lives can be saved”.
On Monday, the Met Police appeared on the brink of banning the planned pro-Palestine protest amid claims it would be inappropriate to hold it on the same day the country marks Remembrance Day.
The force’s deputy assistant commissioner, Ade Adelekan, said in a statement: “The risk of violence and disorder linked to breakaway groups is growing.”
The officer added: “This is of concern ahead of a significant and busy weekend in the capital. Our message to organisers is clear: please, we ask you to urgently reconsider. It is not appropriate to hold any protests in London this weekend.”
On Sunday, UK Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden expressed the Government’s “grave concerns” about a pro-Palestine march taking place on November 11, a time he said was meant to be “a solemn remembrance of the sacrifice of previous generations”.
The Palestinian Solidarity Campaign, which is leading the organisation of the upcoming march, previously said the protest won’t pass through the Cenotaph and the area around Whitehall where the annual National Service of Remembrance is to take place on November 12.
