Organiser of Pro-Iran Al-Quds Day Hate Rally Met Ayatollah to Give Him Research on Islamophobia in Britain

The organiser of the upcoming pro-Iran Al-Quds Day ‘hate’ rally previously hand-delivered a dossier on Islamophobia in Britain to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The Telegraph has the story.

Massoud Shadjareh, co-founder and chairman of the Islamic Human Rights Commission (IHRC), has been recruiting protesters to gather outside the Home Office in Westminster to mark Al Quds Day on Sunday.

A planned march was banned on Tuesday but the Government and police have no powers to stop a stationary demonstration, which is set to go ahead.

The IHRC posted a video on social media in which Shadjareh recalled sitting down in a “small gathering” with the former supreme leader of Iran.

Shadjareh said he had been asked to explain the findings of the IHRC’s ‘Environment of Hate: The New Normal for British Muslims in the UK’.

He told an event: “We did a report… about Islamophobia, how the environment is created by politicians by the media and in that environment people became so bad that even sometimes themselves they were shocked at how they had become so racist.

“I was asked to explain this research, this book, to Ayatollah Khamenei and in the small gathering I explained the whole findings of this.”

The Chairman of the IHRC said the ayatollah had listened “very attentively” before responding: “This is because they want to destroy your confidence in yourselves as Muslims and in your deen. Don’t let it happen.” Deen is an Arabic term for an all-encompassing faith.

Shadjareh, who was born in Iran and is now in his 70s, said Khamenei’s words should inspire others to remain steadfast in their faith amid perceived pressures from pro-Israel actors and “neoconservatives”.

He said: “Day in day out, when these Zionists and neocons are attacking us, abusing us, writing and demonising us, is because they want to remove this confidence from you.

“Our confidence comes in the fact that we have got the most powerful entity backing us and guiding us and this is why we are here and this is why we will be victorious if we unite.”

Shadjareh’s admission that he had met Khamenei in person and handed over research about Britain is likely to pile more pressure on the Home Office to ban the rally on Sunday.

Shabana Mahmood, the Home Secretary, agreed on Tuesday night to a request by the Metropolitan Police to ban a march, but the IHRC has said it would hold a stationary demonstration instead.

There are no powers under the Public Order Act for either the Government or police to ban a static protest, whereas the law does allow officers to request a march is banned if they believe there is a risk of serious disorder.

The IHRC has claimed it is a peaceful event to support Palestinians. But Labour MPs and peers have described it as a “hate march”, accusing the IHRC of having links to Iran and extremism.

Worth reading in full.