A group of 50 senior members of the UK House of Lords, representing various political parties, has accused the Islamic Human Rights Commission (IHRC) of engaging in "primitive, dangerous,
and disgraceful antisemitism." This accusation follows statements made by the IHRC's chair, Massoud Shadjareh, who blamed "Zionist financiers abroad" for fueling far-right riots in the UK.
The letter, signed by prominent peers such as Lord Finkelstein, Lord Watson, Lord Mendelsohn, Lord Wolfson of Tredegar KC, Lord Palmer of Childs Hill, Lord Polak, Lord Pannick KC, Baroness Altmann, and Lord Pickles, was published in The Times. It was written in response to claims made by Shadjareh in an open letter to Home Secretary Yvette Cooper.
In his letter, Shadjareh suggested that far-right elements in the UK had been "enabled by their Zionist financiers abroad" to exploit the tragic murder of three young girls in Southport to incite violence and pogroms against Muslims and people of color. He further emphasized the need to address the racism that permeates media, social, and political discourse, arguing that this environment has emboldened racists and brought the country to the brink of national race wars.
The peers, in their response, condemned Shadjareh's statements, highlighting that his assertions lacked any factual basis. They described the remarks as a clear example of antisemitism that must be exposed and condemned. The peers also contrasted Shadjareh's divisive rhetoric with a letter from various faith leaders, including Sir Ephraim Mirvis, the Chief Rabbi, and Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, which called for efforts to build a cohesive and harmonious society in response to the recent outbreak of hatred, violence, and vandalism.
In response to the backlash, the IHRC chair issued another letter on the organization's website, citing an article published in Israel that discussed the funding of far-right groups by "US pro-Israel lobby groups."
The IHRC has previously faced criticism for its close alignment with Iran's hardline regime. In 2020, the charity claimed that "Zionists have started to implement an insidious strategy to build ties with the Muslim community in Britain to normalize Zionism and the brutal illegal occupation of Palestine." The organization is also known for organizing the controversial Al Quds Day march, during which one of its leading figures was exposed for attempting to blame the Grenfell Tower fire tragedy on "Zionists." Photo by Quinn Dombrowski from Berkeley, USA, Wikimedia commons.
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