Police leader shared content 'promoting destruction of Israel' – report
The founding chairman of the West Midlands Muslim police officers association shared disturbing anti-semitic content, a report says.
The long-awaited independent review on the Government’s anti-terrorism strategy Prevent says Dr Rizwan Mustafa shared content promoting the destruction of Israel and described Jews as “filth”.
He also promoted conspiracy theories about the origins of Isis, according to the report published by the Home Office.
The conclusions also express concerns over the role of police forces in the “mainstreaming of extremist views” considered “hostile” to Prevent’s mission.
It highlights Dr Mustafa, a qualified Muslim cleric who spent nearly 12 years as a police officer with West Midlands Police and is now a course director in police training at Staffordshire University.
The report’s author, William Shawcross, says: “The founding chair of National Association of Muslim Police (NAMP) West Midlands branch has shared conspiracy theories about the origins of al-Qa’ida and Islamic State.
“And it has promoted content which called for the destruction of Israel and described Jews as “filth”.
He also shared a video of a talk given by a cleric who has previously praised Hamas and a post from ex-Guantanamo Bay detainee Moazzam Begg, now of CAGE.
Begg’s post criticised Muslim leaders who develop community outreach projects, claiming that, by doing so, they are “adopting the language of the oppressors”.
Mr Shawcross’s report adds: “I was disturbed to learn that this individual has worked with Government departments on counter-terrorism and security policy.
“In 2020, he authored a paper for NAMP advising Counter Terrorism Policing to drop the terms ‘Islamism’ and ‘jihadism’, which was later discussed at a meeting attended by senior policing figures.”
A spokesperson from Counter Terrorism Policing West Midlands said: “In our delivery of Prevent, we have sometimes been required to speak to a range of people and organisations with differing views on how best to tackle the issue of extremism and radicalisation.
“Doing so is not an indication of support for that organisation, or that we condone their views.”
Staffordshire University declined to comment when approached by the Express & Star.
