A Conservative MP has repeated the false claim that a British imam supported the Hamas-led 7 October 2023 attack on Israel – despite a Labour MP having previously clarified that the accusation is wrong.
Nick Timothy levelled the accusation against Imam Adam Kelwick on Monday during a parliamentary session.
Kelwick, who is imam at Liverpool’s Abdullah Quilliam Mosque, told Middle East Eye on Tuesday that Timothy had abused parliamentary privilege to make “false and defamatory” claims, and urged him to retract them.
But parliamentary privilege means MPs cannot face legal action for defamatory statements made in the House of Commons.
Kelwick attended an iftar hosted by Prime Minister Keir Starmer at Downing Street during Ramadan. Afterwards, false claims circulated online that he had prayed for Hamas.
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In a question to Security Minister Dan Jarvis on Monday, Timothy said that “the prime minister hosted Adam Kelwick, an imam who celebrated the 7 October attacks and told followers to pray for victory for Hamas”.
He added: “Why are the government so keen to spend time with and lend legitimacy to organisations and people they say they oppose?”
Responding to Timothy, Jarvis said: “We are not, and I do not agree with the proposition that the honourable member has made.
“All ministers – of course, including the prime minister – take these matters incredibly seriously, and we always engage in the most responsible way.”
‘Totally inaccurate’
In an Instagram post on 28 October 2023, Kelwick had said: “Pray for peace, pray for mercy, pray for justice, pray for victory, pray for the deceased, pray for those still alive…”
There was no mention of Hamas in the post.
Conservative shadow minister falsely claims British imam supported Hamas attack
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In a post on X on 11 October, Kelwick had said: “David beats Goliath!” There was no mention of Hamas in that post either.
On 19 March Mims Davies, shadow minister for women and shadow secretary of state for Wales, levelled the same accusation against Kelwick in parliament.Â
Afterwards, Labour MPÂ Sarah Owen, co-chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for British Muslims, raised a point of order with Commons speaker Lindsay Hoyle, calling Davies’ statement “totally inaccurate”.
Owen said Kelwick “made absolutely no mention, in the post to which she referred, of Hamas or against Israel; that was added wrongly by the shadow minister. He, in fact, called for prayers of peace”.
She added: “Adam has spent years working on countering extremism and even uniting people through food and conversations when rioters came to attack his local mosque in Liverpool last year.”
‘Abusing parliamentary privilege’
MEE contacted Timothy on Tuesday to ask if he would repeat his claim about Kelwick outside of parliament, and if not whether he would retract it and apologise.
Timothy did not respond by time of publication.
“It is disappointing to see the false and defamatory remarks repeated by Nick Timothy MP in parliament,” Kelwick told MEE.
‘The original claims have already been publicly debunked and it is clear that my words were misrepresented to portray a stance I have never held’
 – Imam Adam Kelwick
“The original claims have already been publicly debunked and it is clear that my words were misrepresented to portray a stance I have never held.”
Kelwick added that he has “consistently condemned violence and have never expressed support for any form of extremism or hatred”.
“My lifelong commitment has been to peace, interfaith dialogue, and promoting harmony among all communities,” he said.
He further urged Timothy to “publicly retract his statement”.
“Abusing parliamentary privilege to make false allegations is a serious issue, and I would encourage all public figures to ensure accuracy before making such statements.”
Last summer, Kelwick made headlines for embracing and feeding protesters outside his mosque after Islamophobic disinformation was spread online about the killer of three children in Southport.
Timothy said in 2023 that there “should be a register of imams and mosques, with unacceptable behaviour leading to preaching bans and closures”.
He called for a ban on the face veil in public places and a hijab ban for schoolchildren, as well as the criminalisation of “sharia marriages” and an end to public funding for mosques.
“Some will say this amounts to picking on the Islamic faith,” he said, “but the problem we face emanates from the Islamic world.”
