Iran International
A right-wing political party in the UK is demanding an upcoming Shi'ite Islamic camp for children be cancelled over alleged ties to Iran’s government which organizers deny.
Reform UK, formerly known as the Brexit Party led by Nigel Farage, says Camp Wilayah has “clear and troubling ties to the Iranian Revolutionary Regime.”
The camp, set to be held for boys and girls aged nine to 14 is run by the Ahlulbayt Islamic Mission (AIM).
In a section on the camp's official website called "hijab and segregation," organizers said the genders would be separated and hijabs will be mandated for the girls.
Several local branches of Reform UK sent a letter to the managers of Phasels Wood Activity Centre in Hertfordshire outside London, urging them to cancel the event.
The center is run by The Scout Association, the largest mixed-gender youth organization in Britain which is a branch of the worldwide Scout Movement.
“The decision to host Camp Wilayah at this site is not just inappropriate – it is a grave betrayal of everything the Scout movement stands for," Reform UK Hertfordshire branch chair Keith Steers wrote in a letter.
"Camp Wilayah is not an innocent cultural gathering. It is the ideological outreach arm of AIM. By offering sanctuary to Camp Wilayah, you align yourselves ... with tyranny.”
Reform UK has been gaining in popularity in recent months with its sharp criticism of established political parties and illegal immigration which critics have branded xenophobia.
AIM fired back in a post on their website.
“Camp Wilayah is not a space for indoctrination or radicalization. It has never promoted hatred of any kind, and no incident has ever been cited nor any evidence presented to suggest a problem at the camp."
"We have no relationship with the government of Iran or any other foreign country."
A search of the AIM website shows it promotes books written by Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and the founder of the Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. In social media posts, the AIM has repeatedly praised Khamenei, calling his books “an excellent source of knowledge and a great read.”
AIM has also praised Qasem Soleimani — the former Quds Force commander killed in a 2020 US drone strike — as a “great hero.” One of its social media posts features a photograph alongside a Khomeini quote about exporting the Islamic Revolution.
The group has faced similar criticism in the past. In July, John Woodcock, Baron Walney , the UK government’s former extremism adviser, said: “We cannot allow propaganda and influence from this theocratic dictatorship to be spread to children in the UK."
"It is deeply alarming that schoolchildren are being taken to these camps. This raises further questions about the influence of Iran here in the UK,” he added.
UK-based human rights lawyer Omid Shams told Iran International that AIM operates under the umbrella of the Ahlul Bayt World Assembly, an Iran-based organisation whose leaders are appointed in Tehran and have historically been close to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. He says former head Mohammad Hassan Akhtari — a onetime Iranian ambassador to Syria and representative of the Quds Force — and other senior figures “are the closest people to Khamenei,” making AIM part of a wider network advancing Iran’s “soft power” abroad.
"There is no way, under any circumstances, that you would say that these organizations are not affiliated with the Islamic Republic of Iran," Shams said.
AIM did not immediately respond to request for comment but posted on their website "to be absolutely clear: AIM has never been affiliated with any organisation called the “Ahlul Bayt World Assembly.” We are not a branch, partner, or member of that body. These claims are entirely false."
The latest dispute comes a month after the British Parliament’s Intelligence and Security Committee warned of a growing threat of physical attacks by Iran in the UK, including targeting British Jews and Iranian dissidents.
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