Jeremy Corbyn and the mosque leader who blames the UK for Isil

Andrew Gilligan in the Sunday Telegraph

Jeremy Corbyn has held at least 15 meetings – including four since he became Labour leader – with a leading figure from Finsbury Park mosque who blames Britain for Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil), has called for the destruction of Israel and appeared to praise the recent wave of terrorist stabbings in that country.

Mr Corbyn has spoken of his “friendship” with the “legendary” Mohammed Kozbar, chairman of the mosque and vice-president of the Muslim Association of Britain, which is closely linked to the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood.

Mr Corbyn captioned this photo on his Facebook page: “Really enjoyed Iftar supper at Finsbury Park Mosque with legendary Mohammed Kozbar and friends”

Mr Kozbar claims that the Finsbury Park mosque, formerly notorious as the base of Abu Hamza, has turned over a new leaf under his leadership. Mr Corbyn, too, has praised it as a “wonderful place” which “guides me and many others”.

But in a demonstration in December 2011 Mr Kozbar called for the destruction of Israel, saying: “This time it will be the end of Israel, inshallah [God willing.]”

He has praised as “always cracking the words of truth” the extremist cleric and Muslim Brotherhood ideological leader Yusuf al-Qaradawi, who has supported suicide bombings of civilians and defended rape, saying that “to be absolved from guilt, the raped woman must have shown some sort of good conduct.”

Under Mr Kozbar’s chairmanship Finsbury Park Mosque continues to host bigots, extremists and terrorist supporters. One of its other trustees, Mohammed Sawalha, is a leading activist and former commander in the terror group Hamas.

The mosque hosted as a guest-of-honour an Islamist leader, Abdullah Djaballah, who called on people to “wage holy Muslim war against the US and British invaders in Iraq.” Mr Djaballah was pictured with Mr Corbyn and Mr Kozbar on a visit to the mosque in 2014. See left from Harrys Place. Abdullah Djaballah is in the centre of the picture, wearing a cap, Corbyn for those unfamiliar with his features is in the white shirt second left, Mohamed Kozbar is third from right. 

A regular preacher at the mosque, Fadel Soliman, says that wives who displease their husbands should be beaten, albeit that “the hitting must be done with a small stick”.Mr Soliman ran a weekly lecture series at the mosque until six weeks ago.

Both Mr Kozbar and Mr Corbyn declined to comment when contacted by the Telegraph.