Imam from extremist-led London mosque claims 'Zionists' behind violent riots that rocked Britain

Press TV, Iran’s state-funded channel, made similar assertions where they forged supposed links between the rioters and “the Zionist entity”.

Dabous, who has been deputy imam at the mosque since 2017, made the remarks during a sermon last week that was then posted on the centre’s YouTube channel.

He said that riots, which broke out after the murder of three young girls in Southport at the beginning of the month, were fuelled by misinformation spread by supporters of Israel.

The imam conceded that the rioters were prejudiced but said they had been misled by “individuals who do not have their best interests at heart”.

He went on: “It’s quite well known now publicly, due to information that has been released online, that their manipulators are Zionists and they are supporters of the state of Israel.

“With ground that has been lost over the past few months, something had to take place that would try to win some ground back for the Zionist agenda. What a better way than to paint the Muslims being savages and killers and barbaric, which in reality is a projection of the Zionist state itself.”

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The mosque made headlines in 2016 when a High Court judge found its head imam, Shakeel Begg, to be endorsing extremist positions and “encouraged religious violence”. They added that he could “plant the seed of Islamic extremism in a young mind”.

However, Begg has remained head imam of the Lewisham Islamic Centre [LIC], which has regularly hosted schoolchildren from the local borough.

The mosque has received hundreds of thousands of pounds in Government grants for its school, which closed in 2019. It also retains links with the local council, reports The Times.

The BBC had previously described Begg as an "extremist" who sued the broadcaster for libel. Lord Justice Haddon-Cave, who oversaw the libel action, found in favour of the broadcaster in 2016.

He concluded Begg had been “telling Muslims that violence in support of Islam would constitute a man’s greatest deed”.

Begg has continued to engage with the community despite the High Court finding against him. According to LIC’s Facebook page, it hosted children from local schools, including primary-age pupils, on at least six occasions in 2022 and 2023.

Police have also continued to engage with Begg, with Lewisham police giving testimony to assist his libel case against the BBC. They highlighted his "principled" stance against Prevent, the counter-extremism programme.

A Met Police spokesperson told the publication: “Begg does not hold an advisory role with the Met. He attended a faith breakfast alongside representatives from other religious backgrounds.

“These events are part of our critical engagement work to understand the effect of policing on all of our communities. The main focus of this particular event was a discussion around the stop-and-search charter.

“An attendee’s presence at an event does not amount to our support for their views. We do not condone any views which encourage division.”