West Midlands Police has opted out of participating in the upcoming LPM Conference, hosted by the Islam Channel, at the International Convention Centre. This decision comes after a thorough investigation by GB News uncovered a series of contentious remarks made by the conference speakers.
Initially scheduled to exhibit at the conference, the Birmingham police force has confirmed the withdrawal of their attendance following the submission of a dossier by GB News. This dossier documented the speakers’ comments regarding the Taliban, non-Muslims, Israeli policy, and politicians.
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One of the conference speakers, Haitham Al-Haddad, recently drew scrutiny after it was revealed that he had visited Afghanistan on a charity trip and praised the Taliban while calling for the end of Western sanctions. Al-Haddad’s statement on Afghan state TV emphasized the importance of engagement with the Afghan authorities and ending economic sanctions, stating that the Taliban ministers were “very soft” and “very gentle.” This praise comes at a time when a Birmingham resident, Miles Routledge, is detained without charge in a Taliban prison.
Another speaker, American Muslim influencer Yusha Evans, expressed discomfort when Muslims displayed affection for “disbelievers.
Fatima Barkatulla, another speaker at the LPM conference, faced controversy in 2014 when she tweeted about William Hague being pressured by “zionists.”
Dr. Louay Fatoohi, meanwhile, compared Israel’s actions in Palestine to a “Gazacaust” and the Holocaust, decrying it as the “shame of the world.
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The selection of these controversial figures as speakers for an audience of over 2,000 attendees in Birmingham coincides with the recent fine imposed on the Islam Channel by Ofcom. The fine was issued due to the broadcast of “hate speech against the Jewish people” in the form of a documentary discussing a conspiracy theory known as the ‘Andinia Plan.
A spokesperson for the Campaign Against Antisemitism expressed concern over the conference’s association with individuals who promote antisemitic conspiracy theories and remarked that the Islam Channel had a history of broadcasting hate speech.
West Midlands Police Federation Chair Richard Cooke supported the decision to withdraw from the event, characterizing it as a “sensible” choice. However, some residents in Birmingham voiced their support for the police’s initial intention to attend the conference.
The Islam Channel responded to the controversy by asserting that the LPM conference was entirely non-political and focused on the life of the Prophet Muhammad, with no political content in the scheduled speeches.
