Preacher who said Allah ‘hates’ homosexuality dropped from Palestinian London conference
An Islamic preacher who said Allah “hates” homosexuality has been dropped from speaking at a Palestine aid event in east London over concerns about his hardline views.
Uthman Lateef was scheduled to speak on a panel this Saturday at a public meeting entitled “Are Muslims empowered by knowledge?” – organised by Education Aid for Palestinians (EAP) and sponsored by the Association of Muslim Lawyers.
Lateef has repeatedly referred to non-Muslims using the insulting word “kuffars”. In 2007, at Queen Mary College, he stated that “we don’t accept homosexuality…we hate it because Allah hates it.”
Responding to news of the cancellation, human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell said: “The organisers have assured us that Uthman Lateef has been cancelled following concern about his anti-democratic and homophobic preaching. We are delighted that Education Aid for Palestinians has recognised that such extreme views are incompatible with its commitment to an equal, inclusive society, in Britain and Palestine. This is a victory for humanitarian values. We thank everyone who lobbied to get this hate preacher dropped. Gratitude to EAP for listening to our concerns.”
