Mick Hartley

It's now been revealed that Lord Hermer, the Attorney General – fresh from comparing those who want to withdraw from the European Convention on Human Rights to Nazis – has been praising a mosque notorious for its anti-Israel rhetoric:

Lord Hermer praised a mosque where a preacher urged Muslims to spit on Israel, The Telegraph can reveal.

The Attorney General said he found the work of the Abdullah Quilliam Society “inspiring”, less than a year after it was named in a list of Islamic charities accused of harbouring “hateful rhetoric”.

The controversy stemmed from a talk at the mosque by Haroon Hanif, an Islamic scholar, roughly two weeks after the Oct 7 massacre in 2023. The nature of his affiliation with the mosque, if any, is unknown.

In the sermon, livestreamed on social media, Mr Hanif told worshippers that Muslims should “continue waging your war for Allah and his messenger, don’t back down”.

He added: “We’re large in numbers right now, two billion. If the two billion just marched on Israel it’s all over, if you spat in the direction of Israel, two billion, it’s all over.”

He also said “any Muslim who thinks the Palestinians are terrorists… you need to question your imam” and “no British Army can overpower you”.

The comments prompted campaigners to refer the mosque, along with seven other Islamic charities, to the Charity Commission.

In an open letter, they accused the organisations of breaching charity guidelines, which state that trustees should be alert to the dangers of “extremist ideology” or “extremist views”.

Nothing, of course, has been done – though rest assured it's not been forgotten. The charity's assessment is "ongoing"

Lord Hermer went on to visit the Abdullah Quilliam Society in August 2024, where he discussed ways to keep the Muslim community safe in the wake of the riots triggered by the Southport killings.

He said it had been “truly wonderful” to hear about the community’s response to the protests, which affected the mosque directly, and said he had come away with “many ideas”.

In a video posted on the society’s Instagram account, he said: “It’s been inspiring learning about the work of this mosque… It has been a huge, huge pleasure.”

The revelation has prompted further questions about Lord Hermer’s judgment in light of recent headlines.

Well yes.