Letter to Rt Hon Sir Lindsay Hoyle MP regarding “the Danger of Islam” held on the parliamentary estate

Dear Mr Speaker,

Re: An event described as “the Danger of Islam” held on the parliamentary estate

I write as Chief Executive of MEND, an independent organisation working to tackle Islamophobia and to strengthen the civic participation of British Muslim communities.

Our attention has been drawn to a publicly shared social media post (screenshot attached below), posted on or around 16th September 2026, which describes a lecture titled “the Danger of Islam” as having taken place on the parliamentary estate, believed to be on or around Tuesday 15th September 2026. The post states that the lecture was delivered by Tim Dieppe of Christian Concern, and thanks Jim Allister KC MP, describing him as having hosted it. We are not able to confirm from that account alone whether Mr Allister, or another Member or peer, sponsored the room booking. That is one of the matters on which we seek clarity.

Mr Dieppe’s public record is one of sustained argument that Islam is an enemy and that British Muslims represent a threat to be resisted. An event built on that premise does not examine a policy question. It casts an entire faith community, several million citizens – and a number of your parliamentary colleagues among them – as a danger to the nation.

That such an event should be given a home on the estate of the House troubles us for three reasons. It lends the authority and respectability of Parliament to a campaign directed against a section of the public the House exists to serve. It does so at a time of rising anti-Muslim mobilisation on Britain’s streets, when the dignity of the House carries particular weight. And it also invites an obvious comparison. One would never imagine that a lecture on “the Danger of Judaism,” or the danger of any other faith, would be booked into a committee room, and would be condemned at once for the bigotry it is. We would be among the first to condemn it. It is precisely that consistency we ask the House to uphold.

I want to be clear that this is not a complaint about free expression. Mr Dieppe is at liberty to publish and speak as he wishes in public life. Our concern is the use of the parliamentary estate, and an MP or Peer’s sponsorship of it, to confer institutional legitimacy on that message.

I would be grateful for a written response to the following:

1. Can the House confirm whether this event took place on the parliamentary estate, on what date, and which Member or peer sponsored the booking?
2. What due diligence is carried out on external speakers and the subject matter of events before rooms on the estate are made available?
3. Does the House consider an event premised on the danger posed by a faith community consistent with the rules governing the use of its facilities and the dignity of the House?
4. What steps will the House take in response, and to prevent the estate being used in this way again?

MEND would welcome a meeting to discuss these matters. British Muslims are not a danger to this country. They are part of it, and they are entitled to expect that the institution which represents them will not be lent out to those who argue otherwise.

Yours sincerely,

Abdullah Saif
Chief Executive, MEND