More on Walney’s words of demonisation against IHRC

Introduction

In a comment piece in The Times (UK), the unelected peer Lord Walney (John Woodcock) has continued making spurious claims about IHRC, demanding that the latest draconian security measure – the Foreign Influence Registration scheme – be extended to organisations like IHRC, because of our anti-war, pro-Palestinian, anti-racist politics.  Our response to the editor of The Times, can be found below.

Letter to the Editor in response

Dear Sir,

The accusations levelled against the Islamic Human Rights Commission (IHRC) by Lord Walney in his recent piece are nebulous, hyperbolic, and devoid of any credible evidence. His frenzied attempts to portray IHRC as linked to foreign interference are reminiscent of past moral panics, such as the infamous “ricin scare,” where sensationalised claims collapsed under scrutiny, causing unnecessary fear and mistrust, or indeed the trojan horse affair, which your publication amplified without credible basis.

Let us be clear, IHRC categorically rejects these unfounded allegations, as we did the last time Walney concocted similar stories in your pages. IHRC has never accepted funding from any state, nor does it act as a proxy for any foreign government. If Lord Walney has any credible evidence to support his accusations, he should present it. Until then, his assertions remain nothing more than politically motivated smears dressed up as national security concerns.

Ironically, it is Lord Walney himself whose impartiality should be questioned. Unlike IHRC, Walney has openly received funding from entities closely aligned with a foreign state, notably through his role with organisations funded by or connected to Israel, including his involvement with the Purpose Defence Coalition, which counts arms manufacturers among its members. If there is genuine concern about undue foreign influence in British political discourse, perhaps scrutiny should begin there.

IHRC remains committed to transparent advocacy for justice and human rights, a mission that we will continue regardless of such baseless smears.

Yours faithfully,

Massoud Shadjareh

Link to the original Comment piece

Read the full article, Tighter laws on foreign influence don’t go far enough.