MPACUK’s Raza Nadim questions Mufti Abu Layth’s connections to the “Islamophobia industry,” specifically his links to the Quilliam Foundation and the Trojan Horse affair in Birmingham.
Mufti Abu Layth (real name Nahiem Ajmal) is a Midlands-based Sufi theologian who follows the Maliki madhab and has developed a following on social media.
He is said to have played a key role in stopping young Muslims joining ISIS and worked at Park View School which was at the centre of the Trojan Horse affair involving allegations of a takeover by “Islamists.”
He has been hailed as a “voice of moderate Islam” who had even been invited to the White House in recognition of his anti-terror work.
Last year, Abu Layth was jailed for six months for his role in an unrelated plot which saw a shamed West Midlands Police officer try to access restricted information about the location of a third man’s wife.
Warwick Crown Court heard that he was the middle man in a plot to locate the wife of another man, Sajad Khan. Stephen Linehan QC, prosecuting, said the pair “corrupted” Pc Osman Iqbal – now serving a jail term for his part in a £1 million-plus sex and drugs racket.
Iqbal was persuaded to “abuse his position” to access a confidential log in a bid to track the woman down.
Subscribe to our newsletter and stay updated on the latest news and updates from around the Muslim world!
