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CAIR-Michigan Executive Director Dawud Walid and CAGE International Senior Director Moazzam Begg appeared at a London conference on Sunday, November 8, despite security concerns raised by a British lawmaker over the event’s speaker lineup. A 2004 U.S. Department of Defense tribunal summary previously described Begg as “a member of al Qaida and other affiliated terrorist organizations.” Footage of Walid’s appearance has not yet been released, though he reportedly called for “sacred activism” and greater Muslim unity, invoking the religious seminaries of Islamic scholars Abdul Qadir al-Jilani and al-Ghazali as major sources of soldiers for Saladin’s army, which defeated the Crusaders and captured Jerusalem in 1187.
The Thinking Muslim Conference, organized by Muhammad Jalal’s podcast platform, took place at the Novotel London West in Hammersmith. Post-conference reporting confirmed the participation of both men and documented new remarks by Begg concerning the UK-proscribed group Palestine Action and travel to Syria and Afghanistan.
A separate eyewitness account reported that another conference speaker, British-American lawyer Clive Stafford Smith, identified Aafia Siddiqui, who is serving an 86-year U.S. prison sentence for attempted murder and related offenses, and her sister Fowzia Siddiqui as personal heroes. The gathering proceeded four days after Conservative MP Nick Timothy wrote to Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood seeking action over the event, following earlier reporting by Jewish Onliner.
Begg Discusses U.K.-Proscribed Palestine Action and Overseas Activism
Speaking to the British Muslim news outlet 5Pillars at the conference, Begg pointed to “physical on-the-ground activism like with the Palestine Action issue” and Muslim travel to Syria and Afghanistan as examples of increasing Muslim political engagement. He praised the growing willingness to engage in such activism, concluding, “This is really positive to see.”
Palestine Action was proscribed as a terrorist organization by the British government in July 2025 over activities including attacks causing serious property damage. The Home Office assessed that the organization had engaged in conduct meeting the legal definition of terrorism.
Begg’s comments follow Jewish Onliner’s September 14 investigation, which examined the Pentagon’s historical allegations concerning his activities in Afghanistan. A September 15, 2004 Defense Department summary prepared for Begg’s Guantánamo combatant-status review tribunal alleged that he received extensive training at al-Qaeda-operated camps, including instruction involving AK-47s, rocket-propelled grenades, handguns, ambush tactics and the manufacture of improvised grenades. The same document alleged that he recruited individuals for al-Qaeda training camps and provided money and material support to them.
In July 2023, Begg publicly documented a meeting in Afghanistan with Khairullah Khairkhwa, a senior Taliban official who was then serving as the Taliban government’s acting Minister of Information and Culture.
Speaker Reportedly Praised Alleged Al-Qaeda Operative Aafia Siddiqui
Another notable development emerged from an attendee’s account published by the British Muslim website Salaam on November 8. According to the account, conference speaker Clive Stafford Smith described Aafia Siddiqui and her sister, Fowzia Siddiqui, as his heroes. The attendee also reported that Stafford Smith criticized British Muslim civil society for yielding to pressure from the Charity Commission surrounding Fowzia Siddiqui’s visit to the United Kingdom.
Aafia Siddiqui was previously identified by U.S. authorities as an al-Qaeda operative. In 2004, then-FBI Director Robert Mueller publicly described her as an “al Qaeda operative and facilitator,” while a 2008 Justice Department report stated that she had been identified as an al-Qaeda operative during custodial interviews in Pakistan.
Siddiqui was subsequently convicted in 2010 of attempting to murder American military and law-enforcement personnel in Afghanistan, along with other offenses, and sentenced to 86 years in prison. According to federal prosecutors, when Afghan authorities detained her in 2008, she possessed documents describing potential mass-casualty attacks against American landmarks, instructions concerning dirty bombs, and electronic files discussing operational cells, attacks, recruitment and training.
Her imprisonment later became central to an antisemitic hostage-taking in the United States. In January 2022, British national Malik Faisal Akram seized four hostages at Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville, Texas, demanding Siddiqui’s release. The FBI confirmed that Akram made antisemitic statements during the nearly 11-hour standoff.
CAIR had previously participated in efforts to secure Siddiqui’s release. In November 2021, the organization announced a Capitol Hill press conference calling for her release and explicitly listed CAIR-Michigan, whose executive director appeared at the London conference, among the campaign’s coalition partners. CAIR subsequently condemned the Colleyville hostage-taking and called for the hostages’ release.
The Salaam attendee account also described comments by CAIR-Michigan’s Walid, who reportedly called for greater unity across Islamic schools of thought and promoted the concept of “sacred activism.” Walid also reportedly referenced the Islamic seminaries associated with Abdul Qadir Jilani and Al-Ghazali in connection with the historical formation of Saladin’s army.
Walid’s participation was one of the issues identified in Jewish Onliner’s original investigation. In a 2012 sermon, Walid identified Jews as those who had incurred Allah’s wrath, remarks subsequently cited in Timothy’s letter to the Home Secretary.
Conference Proceeds Despite MP’s Home Office Intervention
The event took place despite a formal request for Home Office scrutiny from Conservative MP Nick Timothy, who published his letter on November 4. Timothy sought information about security assessments, visas issued to foreign participants, and whether the Home Secretary considered it appropriate for the conference to proceed.