JNF UK chair Samuel Hayek moves to clarify controversial remarks about Muslims

JNF UK chairman Samuel Hayek has moved to clarify his controversial remarks about Muslims which have been widely condemned by other Jewish community leaders and brought criticism of the charity.

In a statement on Friday, Mr Hayek said he did “not believe that most Muslims in the UK are by any definition Islamist extremists”.

But he added that “there is an important debate to be had about antisemitism, especially that practised by Islamist extremists in the UK, which should be brought to the forefront of discussion and not denied”.

The Charity Commission last week opened a regulatory case on JNF UK following comments Mr Hayek made last month in the Jerusalem Post and the Jewish News.

The Board of Deputies is due to debate a motion on Sunday censuring the JNF for failing to disavow his remarks.

Mr Hayek has stood by his view in the Jerusalem Post that he was “not against any minority or against the Muslims in the UK or Europe, but against anyone who spreads hatred that harms Jews”.

But he regretted that comments he had subsequently made to “another newspaper” had been “misconstrued and misunderstood and gave the impression I believe otherwise”.

He also regretted that “the message that I was trying to convey about the nature of the potential threat to the UK Jewish community… was lost in the hurried context of a media rush to judgement furore”.

In contrast to far-right and far-left antisemitism, he argued, “Islamist antisemitism receives very little attention even though there is a common, whispered consensus, demonstrated by the data, that it is a large and growing problem.”

Research and opinion polls showed that while “the majority of British Muslims stand as firmly against extremism as their fellow citizens” nevertheless “a sizeable minority hold antisemitic beliefs”.

Mr Hayek added: “I believe that if current trends remain constant into the future and we fail actively to address this extremist challenge through serious debate and action then, in my opinion, there will be little to no safe future for Jews in this country.”

But the threat could be averted “if we stand strong and committed to fight this together with all those who oppose such extremism”.

The demographic growth of the British Muslim population, “as with any other segment of the population, poses no threat to British Jews or to the UK itself if it is committed to values of tolerance and respect”.

He was not a “bigot” as “some have loudly and unfairly voiced. The impression of me and who I am that was given in the Jewish News is the opposite of my personal beliefs and values,” he maintained.

His comments last month were made in a personal capacity.

But he pointed out that as chairman of JNF UK for the past 14 years, he had overseen “ground-breaking changes from not only supporting Jewish projects in Israel but also supporting healthcare, educational and social projects for all of Israel’s citizens including its Muslim and Bedouin populations, and combatting economic and social problems for all of Israel’s citizens regardless of colour or creed”.

He said he had "always been devoted and committed to the Jewish people and to fighting prejudice in all its forms".

The Jewish News reported Mr Hayek to have said: “Our problem in the West is that we do not understand Islam. In Islam there is not a term for ‘peace’.”

He was also quoted as saying that in contrast to Polish migrants who came to the UK to work, “it is not the same when you have immigration that is motivated and guided by the rules of Islam”.