Letter to Home Secretary from Amir of AOBM, Sheikh Daoud Rosser-Owen Calling for an Exclusion Order for Extremist Pastor John Hagee
The Right Hon Mrs Theresa May MP
HM Secretary of State for the Home Department
House of Commons
1 Parliament Square
London SW1A 0AA
2 August 2011 / 1 Ramadan 1432
Dear Home Secretary,
Pastor the Rev Dr John Charles Hagee
I’m sure that by now you are aware of the intended visit of the above controversial American cleric to a “Rally and Prophecy Conference” to be held at the Symphony Hall, Birmingham, between 18 and 20 August (which will just happen to coincide with 17 and 19 Ramadan this year).
Dr Hagee has come in for considerable criticism within the USA from the American Jewish communities for his expressed anti-semitism, as summarised by the website Jews on First!:
“Hagee declares that Hitler was “part Jewish.” He says that Jews attribute special healing powers to the “spittle” of their first-born sons. He repeats anti-semitic canards about Jewish control of the financial system.” (http://www.jewsonfirst.org/audio-video/Display5.aspx?id=5149)
His Christian theology has raised considerable concern among respected and mainstream British Christian religious, such as the late Rev Dr John Stott (Rector Emeritus of All Soul’s, Langham Place, London), Rev Dr Stephen Sizer (vicar of Christ Church, Virginia Water), and the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, himself who has described it as “dangerous fantasies”.
I believe that it was because of such anti-semitic views as are causing concern among American Jews that you excluded the Indian cleric Dr Zakir Naik in June 2010; and recently took action against Shaykh Raed Salah, leader of the Islamic Movement in Israel, on the complaint of Mr Michael Freer MP, member for East Finchley, although the Israeli authorities have not found him guilty of this.
In the context of the detention of Shaykh Raed Salah you recently stated, “I will seek to exclude an individual if I consider that his or her presence in the UK is not conducive to the public good, and the government makes no apologies for refusing people access to the UK if we believe that they might seek to undermine our society.”
Dr Hagee also has a track record of consistently maligning and excoriating Islam, Muslims in general, and the Prophet Muhammad in particular. It would appear – although that is far from clear, as yet – that the Norwegian gunman, Anders Behring Breivik, was influenced by the Evangelicalism of Dr Hagee and other such peddlers of Islamophobia.
Given that this proposed Conference in Birmingham will take place in the middle of Ramadan in a city with a large polyethnic population, not a few of whom are Muslims, we in the Association of British Muslims would respectfully request that you issue an Exclusion Order for Dr Hagee.
Yours sincerely,
DRO
Daoud Rosser-Owen
Amir of the Association of British Muslims
