Lebanese-born preacher Mohamed Hoblos was due to appear on February 23 in Middlesbrough to give a talk at a new mosque. Labour MP Luke Myer urged Security Minister Dan Jarvis to look into the preacher’s previous record of inflammatory statements in the Commons on Wednesday.
Sources told Jewish News on Thursday that the Home Office was “ready to block” Hoblos from entering the UK on the grounds that his presence was “not conducive to the public good.”
Hoblos has already been banned from Germany and the Netherlands after his record of making hugely inflammatory comments was raised, including claims that last November in a speech at a rally in Sydney, Australia he ridiculed those who call on Muslims to condemn Hamas terror and the massacre of Israelis, stating, “Don’t forget that Israel is the oppressor.”
In a further rant in praise of the people of Gaza, he suggested Palestinian deaths were honorable while Israel victims were sent to “hellfire.” The preacher, who lives in Australia has also faced claims he has suggested non-practicing Muslims should be punished.
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A YouTube video from 2017 shows him stressing the importance of prayer – known as Salah – in a two-minute speech. He asks his followers if someone who sells drugs, murders someone and rapes a child is “good or bad.”
“This person, one person who commits all these sins on a daily basis – but he prays – is better in the eyes of Allah than the one who doesn’t commit any of these sins, but doesn’t pray,” he says.
Jarvis responded to Myer saying:” The UK has a range of disruptive immigration measures at our disposal to refuse entry and cancel permission if it is assessed that a foreign national’s presence in the UK is not conducive to the public good.”
He added that while he was “limited” in what he could disclose in this case, he could confirm the Home Office “will look carefully” at the concerns raised by Myer.
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp also joined calls for the government to act. Jewish News has contacted the Home Office for comment.