Angela Rayner dismissed complaints about alleged antisemitic posts made by a government adviser tasked with defining Islamophobia, despite warnings that the tweets promoted “the oldest anti-Semitic tropes.”
Baroness Shaista Gohir, one of five members appointed to the working group on defining anti-Muslim hatred in February, had previously claimed Israel “controls” the United States in multiple social media posts between 2013 and 2014. The Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA) alerted the Deputy Prime Minister to these comments in April, but no action was taken.
The controversy centres on tweets that remained public until at least 2022 before being deleted. In September 2013, as America considered military action against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Lady Gohir posted: “Will Israel influence the US vote on whether to invade Syria? Are the Americans really on control of their own decisions? #JustAsking.”
A week later, she escalated her rhetoric, tweeting: “Who controls America’s foreign policy? ISRAEL – they would be the ONLY beneficiaries of a US attack on Syria.” In 2014, she added: “Us warns Israel over Palestine talks failure. I bet Israel are quaking in their boots – NOT! Don’t they control US?”
The peer, who serves as chief executive of Muslim Women’s Network UK, further claimed that “the hold Israel has over world leaders including Muslim ones is extraordinary that they continue to murder Palestinians and get away with it.”
Stephen Silverman, the CAA’s Director of Investigations, wrote to Ms Rayner explaining that according to the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism adopted by the British Government, “making demonising allegations about Jews as such or the power of Jews as collective, such as the myth about a world Jewish conspiracy or of Jews controlling the government” constitutes antisemitism.
“Indeed, this is among the oldest anti-Semitic tropes,” Mr Silverman stated in his correspondence with the Deputy Prime Minister’s office. He argued that someone who “engages in this sort of rhetoric” was “eminently unsuitable for a role advising the Government.”
The irony was not lost on critics. Mr Silverman pointed out it was “particularly ironic that someone who breaches one definition adopted by the Government should be charged with drafting another.” He warned that ignoring “its own definition of anti-Jewish racism in the process of crafting and adopting a definition of anti-Muslim hatred” would damage the government’s credibility on both issues.
The CAA followed up with Ms Rayner’s team on 7 August after receiving no substantive response to their initial complaint. The organisation had first written to the Honours Forfeiture Committee in 2022 regarding Lady Gohir’s posts, questioning her OBE status, but has yet to receive a decision.
Speaking to The Telegraph, Lady Gohir defended her posts, claiming she deleted them “after it became clear that bad actors were deliberately twisting their meaning.” She insisted her criticism was “clearly directed” at the Israeli Government rather than Jewish people, stating: “That is not anti-Semitism.”
The working group, chaired by former Conservative Attorney General Dominic Grieve KC, was established to provide the government with a non-statutory definition of Islamophobia within six months. The group’s work has been conducted in secret, with its terms of reference stating that members will “provide private advice by internal consideration by ministers only” and that “the work of the Group will not be made public.”
This lack of transparency has drawn criticism from various quarters. The group’s membership consists entirely of Muslims apart from Grieve, prompting former British ambassador John Jenkins to express concern that “the Working Group may have begun its work with its conclusions pre-determined.”
The controversy comes against a backdrop of debate about the 2018 All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) definition of Islamophobia, which states that “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” This definition has been criticised for potentially restricting legitimate criticism of religious beliefs.
Grieve, who wrote a supportive foreword to the APPG report, has acknowledged that defining Islamophobia is “extremely difficult for perfectly valid reasons relating to freedom of expression.” However, critics fear any official definition could have a chilling effect on public debate, particularly regarding sensitive issues such as grooming gangs.
Conservative Leader Kemi Badenoch recently told Parliament that Labour’s adoption of the APPG definition may have stifled discussion on grooming gangs, noting that the definition makes it difficult to acknowledge statistical evidence about the overrepresentation of Pakistani-heritage men in such crimes.
The working group has been criticised for consulting figures accused of Islamophobia, including Trevor Phillips and John Jenkins, whilst being blocked from engaging with the Muslim Council of Britain, the UK’s largest umbrella group representing over 500 Muslim organisations.
Dr Taj Hargey, founder of the Oxford Institute for British Islam, criticised the entire concept of an Islamophobia definition, arguing that “anti-Muslim prejudice” would be more accurate. Islamophobia is just a catch-all phrase to prevent real free speech,” he told GB News.
The National Secular Society has warned that any definition using the term “Islamophobia” would conflate religion with people and be incompatible with the Equality Act 2010, according to the government’s own analysis. They noted that existing legislation already protects people from discrimination based on religion or belief.
As the working group’s August deadline approaches, concerns mount about the implications for free speech. Over thirty peers, including Lord Moylan and Baroness Fox, have warned that any definition endorsed by government would likely be embedded across the public sector, affecting universities, schools, NHS trusts, councils and courts.
A Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government spokesperson said: “As set out in the Terms of Reference for the Working Group, all members are expected to uphold the Principles of Public Life. The department will shortly be responding to the letter from the Campaign Against Antisemitism.”
GB News has contacted Ms Rayner for comment on the specific allegations regarding Lady Gohir’s tweets and the decision to retain her on the working group despite the antisemitism concerns raised.
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Image Credit (Shortened):
Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner meets Metro Mayors (9 Jul 2024, 10 Downing Street) – by Alice Hodgson / No 10 Downing Street, licensed under OGL v3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
