A peer advising ministers on the official definition of Islamophobia has been reported to the parliamentary watchdog after a restaurant owner who appeared to celebrate attacks on Israel was invited to one of her events.
Baroness Shaista Gohir held the event alongside Muslim-led arts organisation Waw Creative Arts earlier this month which was attended by Haleem Kherallah, owner of Palestinian eatery Shakeshuka in Marylebone, London.
Mr Kherallah was seen at the restaurant in a video posted to social media in June appearing to celebrate attacks on Israel.
In the clip, a number of people at the eatery could be seen dancing, cheering and waving Palestinian flags as news channels showing videos of the attacks played on a television.
One woman appeared to say "Israel's on fire" as she pointed her phone camera to the TV screen before turning around to film Mr Kherallah.
Ms Gohir, who is one of five members on a working group set up by Labour to help provide a working definition of Islamophobia, said she was not responsible for invitations for the event at the House of Lords on November 12.
"All I can say is I invited Waw Creatives — a great organisation It has worked with the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan," she said, according to The Times.
"I wasn’t in charge of the invite list, they organised the event and no one said anything so this is the first I’m hearing."
Mr Kherallah (second from the left) was in attendance at the event in the House of Lords
|INSTAGRAM/WAW CREATIVE ARTS
The newspaper reports that Heidi Bachram, who says her husband's relatives were killed and taken hostage in the Hamas attacks on October 7, 2023, has contacted Parliamentary Standards Commissioner, Daniel Greenberg, calling for Ms Gohir to face disciplinary action.
She also said vetting processes for those attending events such as the one attended by Mr Kherallah should be improved "to avoid such a situation occurring again".
Mrs Bachram added in a post to X: "I complained about this Shakeshuka cafe owner who hosted a ‘watch party’ when the Iranian regime bombed Israel being invited to the House of Lords.
"It was absolutely disgusting to see him in such a prestigious place. I hope they improve vetting."
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Mr Kherallah was recorded at his restaurant this summer alongside others who appeared to celebrate attacks on Israel
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Ministers launched the working group to help advise on the definition of Islamophobia in February.
Chaired by former Conservative attorney general Dominic Grieve, it is aimed at defining Islamophobia or anti-Muslim hatred in a way “which is reflective of a wide range of perspectives and priorities for British Muslims”.
The new definition, if accepted by ministers, will be non-statutory and will aim to provide “the government and other relevant bodies with an understanding of unacceptable treatment and prejudice against Muslim communities”, the working group’s terms of reference state.
Critics of the efforts to create a new definition have raised concerns that doing so could create backdoor blasphemy laws, and curtail speech about Islamic extremism.
A communities department spokesman said in a statement last month: “We will always defend freedom of speech, including fiercely protecting the right to criticise, express dislike of, or insult religions and the beliefs and practices of those who follow them.
“This will remain at the front of our minds as we review the definition.”
GB News has contacted Waw Creative Arts for comment.