A controversial charity has made appearances at both party conferences this Autumn despite being sanctioned by the UAE as a terrorist organisation. Welcome to the yookay…
Labour officially partnered with Islamic Relief UK for its Faith Reception at Labour Conference, while the charity also co-hosted a separate event pressing for further government action on Islamophobia. Islamic Relief UK and the Runnymede Trust also hosted “Systemic & Silent: Tackling Structural Islamophobia,” featuring Labour MP Rosena Allin-Khan, Runnymede Trust chief executive Shabna Begum, Islamic Relief UK interim director Zia Salik, and Himmah director Sajid Mohammed. Speakers reportedly called for the Government’s new Islamophobia definition to be implemented in practice, for a special representative on Islamophobia to be made more prominent, and for government to work with community organisations in addressing what speakers described as “structural Islamophobia”…
The event comes after Angela Rayner launched the government’s working group to develop an official definition of Anti-Muslim Hatred/Islamophobia. The government has since confirmed that the underlying dataset from the group’s call for evidence, including submissions from organisations, was disposed of after ministers considered its advice. Suspicious…
Islamic Relief UK and Islamic Relief Worldwide were both placed on the UAE’s official list of designated terrorist organisations in 2014. Israel separately designated Islamic Relief Worldwide an “illegal association,” alleging that it played a role in financing Hamas. Denied by the charity…
The charity supported a Liberal Democrat Friends of Palestine reception in September and co-hosted “Engaged or Entangled? The UK in the Middle East” with the Coalition for Global Prosperity at Tory Conference on 5 October. Emma Schubart, Research Fellow at the Henry Jackson Society, said:
“Labour formally partnered with Islamic Relief UK while the organisation was pressing for government action on Islamophobia. That raises serious transparency questions. The Government has never disclosed which organisations contributed to its Islamophobia-definition process, and the underlying submissions have since been destroyed. The Government should disclose whether Islamic Relief or the Runnymede Trust contributed. Labour — and the Conservatives, who are also hosting Islamic Relief — should explain what due diligence they carried out before giving the organisation a platform.”
Never forget – charities are more egregious lobbyists than lobbyists…
Kemi Badenoch at the 1922-ConHome bash last night:
“I did praise [Burnham] for his stamina, it was amazing. All I had to do was sit back and lie there. I didn’t have to do anything at all…”