Linda Fabiani in row over talks with radical Muslim

Published on Saturday 11 October 2008 20:18

A SCOTTISH Government minister held talks with a controversial Muslim leader formerly linked to Palestinian fundamentalist group Hamas, Scotland on Sunday can reveal.

Europe minister Linda Fabiani is under fire after her January meeting with Mohammed Sawalha, who was accused by US courts of helping Hamas in the 1990s when the group was carrying out bombings across Israel.

Also present at the meeting was another Muslim leader, Anas Altikriti, a leading figure criticised by UK ministers for backing a boycott of Holocaust Memorial Day.

The meeting was set up to discuss plans for an IslamFest event in Scotland. Sawalha and Altikriti were invited for discussions because they had organised a similar event in London known as IslamExpo.

The IslamFest event is being organised by the Scottish Islamic Foundation, the group which attracted controversy earlier this year after SNP ministers approved funding for it of more than 400,000. The group's chief executive is Osama Saeed, an SNP parliamentary candidate.

Labour last night said ministers should be "more careful" about who they deal with.

But the Scottish Government pointed out that UK ministers had themselves met the pair in previous years.

London-based Sawalha, president of the British Muslim Initiative, was first linked to Hamas following a BBC Panorama investigation which alleged he was involved in the funding and support of Hamas in the 1990s.

Sawalha was named in a US indictment as a co-conspirator in a bid to finance Hamas activities in Israel. The indictment claimed that, in August 1992, Sawalha had discussed plans "to revitalise Hamas terrorist activities in the West Bank". In 2005, asked about his links, Sawalha is reported to have declared: "I have no comment on the question of military activity."

The meeting with Fabiani was then followed by another between the Scottish Islamic Foundation and First Minister Alex Salmond at which the group was promised funding of 200,000 for the Scottish event.

The IslamExpo event, held in London earlier this year, was the subject of controversy after UK ministers decided to boycott the entire event. Communities minister Hazel Blears declared afterwards: "It was clear that because of the views of some of the organisers, and because of the nature of some of the exhibitors, this was an event that no minister should attend – organisers like Anas Altikriti, who believes in boycotting Holocaust Memorial Day."

However, the SNP Government last night defended its decision to meet the IslamExpo organisers.

A spokesman for Fabiani said: "The former Labour London mayor Ken Livingstone suggested meeting the official organisers of IslamExpo, and Ms Fabiani met with them in that capacity to hear about their experiences of running this highly successful inter-community event.

"It would be totally inappropriate to have such routine matters determined by unproven allegations against any individual, who has not been questioned in this country for any wrongdoing."

He added: "Scotland has strong inter-faith and inter-community relations, mercifully free of much of the internet-based smear and slander that goes on elsewhere.

"In any event, IslamFest will be a specifically Scottish event, with its own distinct focus, and is being organised by the Scottish Islamic Foundation. The previous administration had agreed funding for an IslamFest event in Scotland, which was progressed by this Government."

However, Labour MSP Frank McAveety said: "The SNP minister should be much more careful about whom she is meeting. And she needs to be particularly careful about this when she is giving substantial sums of taxpayers' money to people with such links."

A spokesman for the Scottish-Islamic Foundation said: "IslamExpo Ltd were invited to take part in discussions on the opportunities and successes a separate Islamfest project could provide in Scotland, given their experience in this area.

"The delegation they sent was their choice and at their own expense. We understand that Mr Sawalha has met a number of UK Government ministers over the years, so there is nothing unusual in this."