On Monday 10 March, The Times published an article which regurgitated baseless, Islamophobic allegations that IHRC is linked to the Iranian government. The article is the latest in a long line of de-legitimisation pieces about IHRC aimed at getting the authorities to shut it down,
Below is an enquiry from The Times sent to IHRC prior to the publication of the article.
We find it deeply ironic that Walney speaks on extremism while remaining a staunch supporter of Israel, despite its ongoing genocide, well-documented human rights abuses and destabilising actions in the Middle East.
As a former head of Labour Friends of Israel, Walney has consistently used his platform in the House of Lords to shield Israel from legitimate criticism while attacking advocates for Palestinian rights. He has received extensive funding from Israel, and his parliamentary declaration includes being a paid chair of the Purpose Defence Coalition, whose members include Leonardo—one of the world’s largest arms manufacturers, with “extensive links” to Israel’s military.
It is no surprise, then, that he has used his various roles to demonise Palestinians and anyone supporting the Palestinian cause or advocating against Israel’s inhumane treatment of the Palestinian people.
It is also worth noting that this is not the first time Fiona Hamilton has contacted IHRC regarding supposed links to Iran. Previously, she claimed to have an intelligence source to support her claim, yet no such source materialised in her final published article. Now, having failed to establish any actual connection between IHRC and Iran, The Times has resorted to amplifying the words of a pro-Israel propagandist who promotes policies that will further destabilise the Middle East because he believes they will serve Israel’s interests.
Indeed, it is they who are the corruptors, but they fail to perceive it. (Q2:11)
Below we reproduce our correspondence with The Times in full for transparency and accountability.
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Dear Fiona,
Apologies for the delayed response. As it is Ramadan, our staff are engaged in various acts of worship, including reflecting upon the Quran. Lord Walney’s words bring to mind the following verses:
When they are told, “Do not spread corruption in the land,” they reply, “We are only peace-makers!”
Indeed, it is they who are the corruptors, but they fail to perceive it. (Q2:11-12)
It is particularly concerning that Lord Walney is being presented as an impartial commentator on this matter. He has been an active supporter of Israel, despite its well-documented human rights abuses and destabilising actions. As a former head of Labour Friends of Israel, he has consistently used his platform in the House of Lords to shield Israel from criticism while attacking those who advocate for Palestinian rights.
In fact, he has never commented on Israel’s ongoing genocide, nor on how its actions have destabilised the region, bringing it to the brink of war.
His previous report on extremism was widely criticised for its bias, selective evidence, and lack of credibility (as extensively examined by Middle East Eye: https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/partial-partisan-walney-election-abuse-dossier-examined).
Given this track record, it is no surprise that he is now targeting the IHRC—an organisation that has consistently spoken out on justice and human rights violations, including those in Palestine.
As for the claims about links to Iran, these accusations are becoming tiresome. The constant attempt to link British Muslims to the latest so-called “bogeyman” in the Middle East—identified by neoconservative ideologues—borders on racism.
Finally, regarding the IHRC Trust and the Charity Commission’s past warnings, it is our understanding that the warning was due to an administrative matter, not because the IHRC and IHRC Trust are, as you claim, operating as a single entity. The warning is no longer in the public domain, so we would appreciate it if you refrained from making false claims about this matter.
As a matter of policy, IHRC publishes all media correspondence in full to ensure an accurate public record of exchanges, particularly when our comments are misquoted or omitted entirely.
Yours sincerely,
Islamic Human Rights Commission
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Good afternoon,
We are planning to run a comment piece and associated news story that refers to the IHRC, and its charitable arm the IHRC trust, and so I wanted to give you a chance to respond. This will run online Sunday afternoon/evening, and in the Monday newspaper – so my deadline is 11am Sunday.
The comment piece is by Lord Walney, reflecting on the work of the Charity Commission and his concerns that it is toothless and is not doing enough about its backlog of investigations. He specifically refers to charitable organisations with links to extremism, that he says are seeking to undermine the UK way of life and sow division in communities, while receiving tax-free money that they use to attack British values. He links these general concerns to the IHRC, and cites the ongoing lengthy investigation by the Charity Commission as an example of how the watchdog is failing to take action.
Do you wish to comment on Lord Walney’s concerns about the IHRC? The news story will specifically refer to other criticisms of the IHRC – that its co-founder Massoud Shadjareh, has described Iran as the only country “standing against oppression, against tyranny”, that its directors have been closely aligned with Iran, and that it was criticised in the independent review of Prevent by William Shawcross. He described it as an “Islamist group ideologically aligned with the Iranian regime, that has a history of ‘extremist links and terrorist sympathies’”. Shawcross said that senior figures had espoused support for violent jihad and “advocated for the extraction and eradication of ‘Zionists’”, also citing a 2017 press release which described an Islamist militant as a “rare man of principle”.
Do you wish to comment on these criticisms?
Do you wish to comment on the Charity Commission’s warning two years ago that IHRC and IHRC trust were effectively operating as one and the same?
And do you wish to comment on the Charity Commission’s ongoing investigation into the trust?
Many thanks, Fiona
Fiona Hamilton
Chief Reporter
