“Death to gays, Jews are filth, Green is good”: Kings College plays host to Sheikh Quick

From The London Evening Standard, courtesy TROP.

Islamic preacher who called Jews ‘filth’ to speak at London university

Felix Allen
25.02.10

A London university has been condemned for inviting an Islamic preacher with anti-Semitic and homophobic views to give a lecture to students.

Guest speaker: Sheikh Abdullah Hakim Quick will lecture students at King’s College.

Sheikh Abdullah Hakim Quick is due to speak at King’s College‘s Strand campus at six tonight.

Peter Tatchell, of pressure group Outrage, accused university bosses of cowardice and “complicity with fundamentalism” by giving the preacher a public platform.

Sheikh Quick has denounced the “filth” of Jews and once gave a televised lecture in which he said the Islamic position on homosexuality is “death”.

He added: “Muslims are going to have to take a stand [against homosexuals] and it’s not enough to call names.”

He is due to give a talk on the environment in an event organised by the University of London Union Islamic Society for its Green Week campaign.

Mr Tatchell said: “King’s College would not host a white supremacist who advocated racism or death to black people… King’s College has an equal opportunities policy that prohibits the promotion of hatred against minorities, but it is not enforcing it.

“The university is not a safe place for Jewish and gay students when it facilitates a vicious homophobe and anti-Semite like Sheikh Abdullah Quick.”

He claimed that the university’s attitude represented “collusion with the gateways to terrorism”.

A King’s College spokeswoman said Sheikh Quick’s talk would be on “environmental problems, Islamic solutions”, adding: “He has already spoken at other universities without controversy and there is no indication that the topic of his talk will be controversial.

“The Dean of King’s College London, who oversees multi-faith relations, and the president of the students’ union will attend the event. If they deem any comments from Sheikh Abdullah Hakim Quick to be offensive to minorities, the talk will be stopped.”

Sheikh Quick is also due to visit the University of East London at the weekend.

His website says he was born in America and completed a masters degree and a doctorate in African history at the University of Toronto, and has served as an imam in Los Angeles, Jamaica, Canada and Cape Town.