UK Camp Brainwashes Kids: Calls Israel ‘Child-Murdering Squatter State’
A UK summer camp run by a pro-Iran Islamic charity is under fire for promoting anti-Israel propaganda to children, including glorifying Hamas and Iran’s regime. Critics demand its closure, citing risks of radicalization and extremist indoctrination.
A British summer camp organized by the Ahlulbayt Islamic Mission (AIM), a pro-Iran Islamic charity based in Cricklewood, London, has drawn fierce criticism for radicalizing children aged 9 to 14 with extremist anti-Israel rhetoric. Camp Wilayah, scheduled for August 2025 in Kings Langley, Hertfordshire, promotes outdoor activities like climbing and abseiling alongside “lectures and discussions” steeped in Islamic values. AIM describes the £180 four-day camp as “a unique opportunity to explore your true potential amidst the serenity of nature and an Islamic ambience.” However, activities include children drawing Palestinian flags and watermelon symbols, referencing Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, which killed 1,200 and took 251 hostages and the spike in the Pro-Palestinian movement following the attack. Girls, required to wear hijabs, are segregated from boys except during prayers and talks.
UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI) condemned the camp, warning that it “is being hosted by a group that openly promotes the revolutionary Islamist ideology of Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Khamenei.” AIM’s social media glorifies Khamenei’s books as “an excellent source of knowledge” and justifies Hamas’s atrocities, claiming “the Zionists brought this disaster upon themselves.” A video titled “Know Thy Enemy” labels Jews as “harshest” and Israel a “squatter state” with a policy of “murdering children,” while dismissing moderate Muslims as “filth.” UKLFI stated, “AIM’s deep ideological alignment with the Iranian regime and its record of extremist propaganda presents an unacceptable risk to children.” Lord Walney, former UK extremism adviser, declared, “We cannot allow propaganda and influence from this theocratic dictatorship to be spread to children in the UK.” Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick echoed, “Children should not be allowed to attend camps run by supporters of the Iranian regime.”
The controversy follows a British Parliament report equating Iran’s threat to the UK, including attacks on British Jews, with Russia’s. Brent and Hertfordshire councils are investigating, with the latter noting, “We are working with partners to understand the situation and whether it raises any safeguarding issues.” AIM defended itself, claiming, “We are proud of our record in opposing the 140-year Zionist campaign of genocide against the people of the Levant.” Social media posts on X decried the camp, with one user stating, “Brainwashing kids with hate is disgusting, shut this camp down!”