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TotallyJewish.com, UK
May 26, 2004
Justin Cohen
www.totallyjewish.com

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ReligionNewsBlog.com • Item 7444 • Posted: Thursday May 27, 2004  

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The director of the London School of Economics has apologised to Jewish students after the leader of extremist group Al-Muhajiroun addressed a seminar at the campus.

But the letter from Howard Davies was rubbished by pro-Israel students, who accused the university of trying to “wash its hands of this scandal”.

They also questioned how the university would react if National Front leaders were invited on to the campus.

Anjem Choudary, the group’s UK head, was among the speakers at an event this month organised by LSE-based charity INFORM.

The organisation, created with the help of home office funding, was set up to provide information on minority religions.

In a letter to the university’s Israel society, seen by TJ, the university’s director Howard Davies said: “I am sorry that the presence of Mr Choudary on the LSE campus has caused concern and anxiety among Jewish students at the school.”

But he insisted the event was not advertised as part of the school’s programme and the institution’s authorities were not consulted about the line-up of speakers.

Al-Muhajiroun, which is unwelcome at National Union of Students events under its no platform for racism policy, organised an event entitled 11 September: A towering day in history, to mark a year since the attacks on New York and Washington. The group’s headquarters were raided by anti-terror police last July.

Pro-Israel students expressed “deep shock” after learning of Choudary’s participation in the event days after it had taken place.

A statement from the Israel society’s executive committee said the decision to grant Choudary a platform “has caused us to feel threatened, and we feel that our right to study in a safe, secure environment, free from racism and hatred, has been violated.

“This is especially true in light of the unfortunate connection LSE has had in the past with Islamic extremism.”

Eileen Barker, emeritus professor at LSE and chair of INFORM’s board of governors, told TJ organisation tries to hear as many perspectives as possible and it didn’t necessarily agree with the invited speakers.

In a letter to the Israeli society executive committee, she said: “As the conference was about the dangers of new religions, we asked Mr Choudary as a leader in a movement that is considered by many – not just the LSESU Israel society – to be dangerous.”

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