Liberal Judaism will not rescind invitation to Shamima Begum’s lawyer

Liberal Judaism will not be rescinding an invitation to Shamima Begum’s lawyer after he faced criticism for drawing parallels between Isis and the state of Israel.

Tasnime Akunjee told New Statesman editor-in-chief Jason Cowley this week that “Isis copied their model directly from Israel.

“You have Israel calling on Jews from around the world… they have an automatic right to be a citizen of Israel.

“That’s exactly the same as Isis, in the sense that if you’re Muslim and you come over here, you’ll be looked after.”

Akunjee will speak at a Liberal Judaism panel event about citizenship and privilege, chaired by Charlotte Fischer from Citizens UK on April 4.

Rabbi Danny Rich, senior rabbi of Liberal Judaism, defended his decision not to withdraw the invitation, saying: “Liberal Judaism is not in the habit of rescinding invitations to speakers.

“Liberal Judaism welcomes robust debate and indeed the Hot Potatoes series does just that. Please do come along and take part in the discussion on Thursday 4 April.”