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Telegraph
5 days ago
- Politics
- Telegraph
‘Pro-Iranian' children's camp axed amid extremism fears
Girls who attend are required to wear the hijab and are segregated from the boys, other than for daily prayers, talks and a team photograph. AIM, which is based in Cricklewood, north-west London, has been accused of backing Iran's theocratic regime. In posts on social media, the charity has repeatedly praised Ayatollah Khamenei, the country's supreme leader, and described his books as 'a great read'. The charity has also refused to condemn the terror group Hamas, and said in the wake of the Oct 7 2023 attacks on Israel that 'Zionists brought this disaster upon themselves'. In an indication of the kinds of activities children at Camp Wilayah were likely to take part in, one AIM video posted on Instagram showed a group of young boys and girls drawing and colouring in Palestinian flags and watermelon symbols. The children, described as Mahdi's Little Believers, could also be seen making kites – in an apparent reference to the paragliders used by Hamas on Oct 7 to attack southern Israel. Pictures posted online of the camp show Hasan Ali al-Taraiki, a cleric associated with AIM, attending. In an interview posted on YouTube a year ago, he said that the persecution of Jews by Germany and European countries had been 'justified at the time'. He was pictured last year at a commemoration in north London for Ebrahim Raisi, a former Iranian president who died in a helicopter crash. Iranian dissidents were attacked as they protested peacefully. 'Punished simply for their faith' Robert Jenrick, the shadow justice secretary, raised concerns that children should not be allowed to attend camps run by 'supporters of the Iranian regime'. There had also been opposition from local Reform UK politicians. On Wednesday, AIM said it had cancelled the camp because of fears of threats to families and children taking part. It said: 'No evidence of wrongdoing has ever been found at Camp Wilayah, yet our children are being punished simply for their faith. 'To attack such a wholesome and positive tradition is shameful, especially when threats are made by the Reform party to mobilise protests and disrupt children's camps. 'Not only is this despicable behaviour, but it is Islamophobia in plain sight, and it should alarm every member of society. 'In an age where far-Right hate is being normalised, it is more important than ever to stand together against prejudice in all its forms.' UK Lawyers for Israel, which had said the camp's activities could be seen as 'symbolically connecting very young children with nationalist resistance' and 'embedding ideological allegiance at a formative age', welcomed the cancellation. Call for background checks Caroline Turner, the organisation's director, said: 'We are relieved that Camp Wilayah will not be going ahead. 'We were concerned for the safety of the children, and that event may be used as a platform to radicalise children, incite hatred or violence, and glorify terrorist ideology. 'We hope that in future there will be background checks on the organisations running children's camps, so this cannot happen again.' Lord Walney, a former government adviser on extremism, also welcomed the decision, saying: 'It is right that this camp organised by a group sympathetic to Iran's extreme theocracy is not going ahead – there was a clear risk of kids being indoctrinated. 'No one should be taken in by the Ahlulbayt Islamic Mission's victim narrative, they are a world apart from the vast majority of moderate Muslims in Britain 'This episode shows why it is essential that the UK Government does not bring in a definition of so-called Islamophobia that could prevent vital scrutiny of potential extremism risks seeking to target British Muslims in the name of Islam.' 'Increased threat' Security officials have warned of an increased threat from Iran, saying Tehran had used groups in the UK to spread its influence. Two London charities with links to Iran, Dar Alhekma Trust and Abrar Islamic Foundation are being investigated by the national terrorist financial investigation unit. They have denied any wrongdoing. Police and MI5 have disrupted more than 20 assassination and kidnap plots linked to Iran since January 2022. Earlier this year, counterterrorism officers arrested five Iranians suspected of plotting an attack on the Israeli embassy.
Wall Street Journal
06-07-2025
- Politics
- Wall Street Journal
A Defiant Iran Draws on the Lessons of an Earlier War
Israel's 12-day campaign of airstrikes on Iran killed a number of top military leaders, wiped out its air defenses and pummeled symbols of its rulers' power. It wasn't the first time Tehran's theocratic leaders had been pushed to the brink. Across the country, schools and streets are named for soldiers and pilots killed in the brutal war fought four decades ago between Iran and Iraq. Then, as now, the conflict pitted the regime against a superior, U.S.-backed adversary. As now, Iran perceived itself as alone and cornered.
