Preacher who praised Hitler granted entry to UK for lecture tour

A hate preacher who has a history of making inflammatory statements about Jews was recently granted entry to the UK to give a series of speeches. 

It has been reported that Enayet Ullah Abbasi, an Islamist extremist from Bangladesh, was welcomed by Enam Haque, a Labour Party councillor for Northamptonshire West, who described him as a “highly respected and prominent Islamic scholar.”

Mr Haque later said: “I was completely unaware of Enayet Ullah Abbasi’s abhorrent views, and I condemn them in the strongest possible terms.” 

Despite having a history of publicly expressing antisemitic views, the Home Office had granted Mr Abbasi entry to the UK for his lecture tour. 

In a video that was discovered and translated by The JC, Mr Abbasi allegedly said in a speech: “Hitler did a good job on behalf of humanity.” In the same clip, he also allegedly claims that Jews were “deserving” of being murdered in the Holocaust.

In another video, Mr Abbasi appears to reference the “Khaybar chant”: “Beware Jews, Palestine is the land of Muslims. Palestine is not your kingdom. I tell you Jews, get out of the holy land of Palestine and if you don’t, remember the story of the invasion of Khaybar…Remember the story of the battle of Khaybar in history. Khaybar went down and how were the Jews killed?” 

The “Khaybar” chant is a classic Arabic battle cry referencing the massacre and expulsion of the Jews of the town of Khaybar in northwestern Arabia, now Saudi Arabia, in the year 628 CE. The chant has been heard in numerous anti-Israel rallies in Britain and abroad.

It is understood that Mr Abbasi had a number of his speeches cancelled after venues discovered that he had praised the 9/11 hijackers. 

A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “Enayet Ullah Abbasi is an extremist whose repugnant rhetoric is nothing short of incitement. Not only does he praise Hitler in his speeches, but he invites his audiences to affirm his antisemitic views. That he was welcomed by a fawning local Labour councillor is shocking. Given Mr Abbasi’s public history, not only must the Home Office explain how he was granted entry into the country, but it must also reassure the public that this recent visit will be his last.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism’s Antisemitism Barometer 2021 showed that almost eight in ten British Jews consider the threat from Islamists to be very serious.