GMC urged to suspend GP leader of UK Islamist group

The General Medical Council has been urged to take action against a Harrow GP who also leads the UK branch of a soon-to-be banned Islamist terror group. 

Dr Abdul Wahid, who also uses the name Wahid Asif Shaida, also trains newly qualified doctors.

He is one of the leaders of Hizb ut-Tahrir, an Islamic organisation involved in pro-Palestine protests, which has also been banned in many Arab nations, as well as in Germany and China.

In December 2023 Wahid described Hamas as a ‘resistance’ group and called 7 October terror attacks “a very welcome punch on the nose” on Piers Morgan’s Talk TV show.

On 15 January, UK Home Secretary James Cleverly moved to proscribe the group by putting an order before Parliament which would make joining the organisation illegal in the UK under terror laws.

The GP Direct website still lists Dr Wahid Shaida as “a salaried GP” at his practice since 2002. It says his “special interests lie in the field of medical education. He is a GP trainer for recently qualified doctors. He is currently the information governance and complaints lead within the practice.”

A London consultant Surgeon told Jewish News: “This GP appears to be the head of an Islamist supremacist organisation Hizb ut-Tahir in the United Kingdom that has extremist opinions regarding all those it deems ‘non-believers’. This extremist group ultimately calls for world domination and a global caliphate.

“The organisation is banned in most Arab countries. Hizb ut-Tahrir has racist and misogynistic views in addition to offensive views concerning the LGBTQ community. This particular GP on national TV justified the terrorist group Hamas atrocities and murder of 1200 on 07/10, the taking of civilian hostages and the sexual violence, including the murder of 364 innocent civilians at the Nova party massacre as ‘resistance’.

“I do not believe such an individual should be practicing medicine in the United Kingdom. There are significant safeguarding issues concerning a GP holding such extremist opinions.”

A local GP told Jewish News: “It’s chilling as a law- abiding UK doctor to know that the leader and public face of a group that the Home Secretary seeks to ban as a terror organisation under the 2000 Terrorism Act is also a working NHS GP with a clean medical licence to practice.

“This doctor is consulting with vulnerable patients both young and old despite the organisation he leads being described by James Cleverly as “antisemitic” and he also says it”encourages terrorism”. The GMC must act urgently to suspend this doctor whilst the government concludes its deliberations regarding proscribing the group in order to reassure the public that patients are being kept safe from the threat of extremism in healthcare settings. The public’s confidence in the profession must be restored without further delay.”

A UK-based psychiatrist told Jewish News: “Many of my patients have sadly been raped or sexually assaulted in their past. How could any patient, let alone those that have experienced past traumas, trust a GP that heads an organisation that openly praises the barbaric acts that occurred on the 7th October?

“The professional standards for doctors working in the UK, outlined in the GMC good medical practice, states that medical professionals should be ‘honest and trustworthy, act with integrity, maintain professional boundaries and do not let their personal interests affect their professional judgements or actions’. My view would be that being the head of an organisation that has been declared a terrorist organisation by the UK home secretary, is mutually exclusive with the characteristics described by the GMC. I therefore question how he can remain registered.”

Hizb ut-Tahrir has organised rallies which have appeared on the streets of London alongside pro-Palestine marches in recent months, following the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas conflict.

A spokesperson from the General Medical Council (GMC) told Jewish News: “We are aware of the concerns that have been raised. However, we cannot confirm whether we are investigating a doctor unless they have been interim suspended or have interim conditions following a hearing of the Interim Orders Tribunal (IOT) at the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service.

“We can and will investigate serious concerns that suggest patient safety or the public’s confidence in doctors may be at risk and will take action where it is necessary.

“If we were to receive a complaint or a self-referral about the actions of a doctor involved in a protest or commenting on social media, we would have a legal duty to consider the issues raised. As with all complaints, we would make our decision based on the specific facts of the case, using the professional standards that apply to all doctors registered to practise in the UK, to assess whether the doctor’s actions have fallen seriously or persistently below the standards we expect.

“Good medical practice 2013 says that doctors must not express their personal beliefs (including political, religious, and moral beliefs) to patients in ways that are likely to cause them distress.  And they must not unfairly discriminate against patients or colleagues by allowing their personal views to affect their professional relationships or the treatment they provide or arrange.

“Our standards on personal beliefs are clear that when sharing opinions or raising awareness around certain issues, doctors must consider how doing so may affect the public’s trust and perception of the profession.”

A petition launched by Global Healthcare Professionals Against Racism in Healthcare, calling on the British Medical Association to remain neutral on the Israel/Hamas conflict, said: “It is worrying to note that an NHS GP working in London is the leader of a group which the Home Secretary petitioned government on 15.1.24 to designate as a proscribed terrorist group under the Terrorism Act 2000”

As reported by Jewish News, Conservative MP Bob Blackman called for Wahid to have his “right to be in this country” cancelled.

Jewish News has contacted the NHS for comment.