LONDON:
Shockat Adam
, the Indian Gujarati-origin Independent MP who caused one of the biggest upsets of the general election by unseating former shadow paymaster general
Jonathan Ashworth
in
Leicester South
, was previously the leader of a group described as “Islamist” by the UK govt and his brother allegedly has links with extremists, according to media reports.
Adam, whose real name is Shockat Adam Patel, an optometrist, is the brother of Ismail Adam Patel, the founder and chair of Friends of Al-Aqsa (FOA). The “Jewish Chronicle” said
Ismail Adam Patel
previously visited Hamas leaders in Gaz and has “saluted” the group for resisting Israel. It said that Patel was filmed at a rally in 2009 saying: “Hamas is no terrorist organisation.”
Adam is the former chairman of the Leicester Mend (Muslim Engagement and Development) working group. Introducing a new definition of extremism in March, Michael Gove, then communities secretary, had said: “Organisations such as the Muslim Association of Britain, which is the British affiliate of the Muslim Brotherhood, and other groups such as CAGE and Mend, give rise to concern because of their Islamist orientation and views. We will be holding those and other organisations to account to assess whether they meet our definition of extremism, and will take action as appropriate.”
Adam, who left Mend in March, told the Daily Mail the organisation “encourages Muslims to participate in Britain liberal democracy, the act opposite of Gove’s accusations”.
Adam dropped his “Patel” surname during campaigning and is not using it as an MP. FOA is a prominent organisation at pro-Palestine demonstrations in the UK and promotes pro-Gaza protests on university campuses and the boycott of Israeli goods.
The FOA describes itself as a “UK-based non-profit-making NGO concerned with defending the human rights of Palestinians and protecting the sacred al-Aqsa Sanctuary in Jerusalem”.
Mend describes itself as a “not-for-profit company that helps to empower and encourage British Muslims within local communities to be more actively involved in British media and politics.”
Last week Majid Freeman, one of Adam’s key supporters, was charged with encouragement of terrorism and supporting a proscribed organisation.
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