Ahmed apologises ‘unreservedly’ for his anti-Semitic comments. Great: now Labour can kick him out
By Dan Hodges Politics Last updated: March 28th, 2013
Lord Ahmed
Apparently, Lord Ahmed has just apologised for his remarks about the Jewish community. In an interview with Mehdi Hasan in the Huffington Post, he says he “completely and unreservedly” apologises to “the Jewish community, to the judiciary, to the newspaper owners” for blaming Jewish-owned media organisations for his imprisonment for dangerous driving in 2009.
A bit more obliquely, he claims “he has “the greatest respect” for the Jewish community and could not “believe [the video] when I saw it”. He said his comments were “completely wrong”, “unacceptable” and the product of a “twisted mind” – but took “full responsibility” for them. Seeing the comments were his, it’s hard to see who else could be responsible. As for the “twisted mind”, well, you said it, m’lord. Read on……………….
From the Star: Disgraced peer issues apology
From the Yorkshire Post: Peer says sorry for his ‘Jewish conspiracy’ claim
Previously from the Advertiser: Rotherham peer suspended over new controversy
Rotherham Politics 
Then why did this lying B******d deny it in the first place. I always knew he was a liar but this is just beyond belief. This just proves to the rest of us what a liar he was in Court. Small edit Ed.
Perhaps now they will take his unearned title from him!
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Did he actually deny that he made the remarks?
” However, he told The Times he had “no recollection” of the TV interview.
“I’ve done a lot of interviews,” he reportedly said. “If you’re saying that you have seen this footage then it may be so but I need to see the footage and I need to consult with my solicitors before I make any comments in relation to this.” ”
Daily Telegraph 14 Mar 2013
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Surely anyone would remember saying such offensive and criminally racist remarks. Don’t try and make excuses for this inveterate liar!
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I am not making excuses for anyone.
I am simply trying to clarify the facts of the matter; the unbiased facts.
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Three strikes, then you are out!
The Labour Party and Ed Miliband in particular, will not be taken seriously, if they duck the issue this time.
Ahmed simply must not be allowed the whip again and his party membership should be revoked for the outrageous offence caused. Ahmed’s standing in Rotherham, has never been lower and his claims to community leadership now bogus.
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Some people don’t even get one strike (hint hint) so surely LaBORE have had enough now?
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Whilst Lord A. rejects the charge, I can’t help feeling that this, from the HuffPo interview (linked to above) has some legs:
“Some of his critics would argue that Ahmed has, Yasser-Arafat-style, a habit of telling a British non-Muslim audience one thing in one language and a Pakistani Muslim audience something else in another. Is he guilty of using Urdu-language interviews to promote or indulge Pakistani conspiracies about ‘Jewish power’? The peer rejects the charge. … ” ,as Mandy R-D put it: “Well he would, wouldn’t he”.
(I’m far far less sure that the accusation could be made to stick on Arafat,)
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“A habit of telling a British non-Muslim audience one thing in one language and a Pakistani Muslim audience something else in another.”
You have hit the ‘nail on the head’ there, without a doubt!
There are at least two more, both Rotherham Councillors, who specialise in this kind of behaviour and worse. I refer of course to Jahangir Akhtar and Mahroof Hussain, whose actions in this regard have been despicable! More on this in a later posting.
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… yes but, I was simply quoting from the HuffPo article, and saying that I could see that there might be something in it.
I can see it happening with someone who has a foot / role/ position (or possibly ambitions) in two countries, and fluency in the language of each. (I’ve noticed it with Christine Lagarde – French CEO of the IMF).
If you wish to extend that to two communities within one small to medium sized borough, then I can see where you are coming from re:JA, but nothing I have seen or read of MH leads me to a similar conclusion in his case.
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As well as getting a load of dosh for being an unelected, placeman peer, this self confessed racist also gets paid by UKBA for escorting Muslim pilgrims to Mecca. As far as I know no one gets paid to escort Catholics to Lourdes and Knock. So why do Muslims need an escort,paid for by the British taxpayer? I made a freedom of Information request from UKBA as to how much he was paid and how often a month ago. I received an acknowledgement, but still await a reply!
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Mal,
Is this what you are referring to?
http://www.britishhajjdelegation.org.uk/about.php
(since it has little in common with what you describe, maybe you are referring to something else; if so can you provide a link to it.)
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Mal;
I think you should have sent your FoI request to the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO), they might have known what you were talking about since they are responsible for the welfare of British citizens in Saudi Arabia, and it was they that provided some early funding assistance to The British Hajj Delegation
– whose website I linked to above.
To quote from their website:
“The British Hajj Delegation provides ‘on the ground’ medical support and has been functioning for over ten years. The first Delegation was sent in 2000 (Hijri 1420) thanks largely to the efforts of Lord Nazir Ahmed, a Peer in the House of Lords of the British Parliament, and other campaigners. The BHD has been led by Lord Adam Patel, another Peer in the House of Lords of the British Parliament, for the last ten years and includes a Chief Medical Advisor (CMA) along with seven other volunteer Doctors, including usually one or two female Doctors.”
[…]
The British Hajj Delegation is based in Makkah and during the days of Hajj in Mina. The clinical services are usually operational for around 3 weeks. During Hajj 2009/1430 there were approximately 23,000 British pilgrims performing Hajj and in total almost 3000 patients were supported within the three weeks. The British Hajj Delegation did not deploy during Hajj 2010 (Hijri 1431) due to a cease in funding. However due to the kindness of our sponsors we, God willing, intend to be providing services again this coming Hajj 2011 (Hijri 1432).”
More here: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/travel-advice-for-hajj-pilgrims.
The logistical problems of the Hajj are of an entirely different order of magnitude to those of Lourdes (5 million visitors a year,) or Knock (1 million p/a)..
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I think I understand better now what you were referring to; his involvement with Reliance, the Deportation contractor (these people: http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2012/apr/13/deportation-contractor-reliance-abuse-claims )
____________
See: https://rotherhampolitics.wordpress.com/2013/03/30/naz-ahmeds-interests-declaration/
(and thanks to Rothpol for clearing up the confusion!)
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Where does this leave Asbo? Does he apologise for being Ahmed’s apologist? If, as asserted by Asbo, he is not anti-Semitic then what is he? Maybe Ahmed is is part-time, for example only anti-Semitic on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Or maybe just a coward who couldn’t admit to his own culpability?
Can we ask Asbo?
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Asbo Akhtar, “Ahmed’s apologist,” and there was me thinking he was more like Ahmed’s glove puppet? Whatever the truth behind the relationship between Ahmed and Asbo, there has been a great deal of angst recently on display.
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So Lord Ahmed said: “I am embarrassed. And I think I’ve embarrassed my friends. I want to make sure that no Jewish, Christian or Muslim friend is embarrassed by my action. I take full responsibility [for that TV interview] and that is why I have come out very openly and apologised.”
As a girl with Jewish heritage and not exactly a friend of Lord Ahmed (Although i knew him slightly at TRC when he was a Tory – he still is in my opinion) do I get an apology? And also as an old fashioned Labour girl (hence my opposition to the poor excuse for the party in Rotherham and nationally) can I just add he shouldn’t be suspended for the party he should be thrown out for good; as well as charged for inciting racial and religious hatred.
Personally I would like to see him issue a full apology via the Advertiser. Then resign from the Lords. It’s easy peasy – all he needs to do in both cases is put pen to paper confessing what he said, why he said it, why he had the lapse of memory and what exactly he thought at the time.
But then again I suppose I will just have to be disappointed. Stone and his rabble will close ranks. They always do.
Lord Ahmed – if you’re reading. A bigots a bigot no matter how they try to dress it up in posies and pansies.
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