Rep. Mast urges visa ban for British MP over alleged Hamas ties
Mast accused Nassem Shah of ties to known terrorist groups and said she should not be allowed to attend an upcoming conference in Washington, D.C.
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Rep. Brian Mast (R-FL) speaks during a news conference at the U.S. Capitol on September 9, 2024 in Washington, DC.
Rep. Brian Mast (R-FL), in a letter sent earlier this week, urged Secretary of State Tony Blinken to block a member of the British parliament from entering the United States.
According to Mast, MP Naseem (Naz) Shah of the U.K.’s Labour party spoke in 2021 on a panel organized by the Palestinian Return Centre, whose chair was sanctioned by the United States, which described him as a senior Hamas member in Europe.
Mast said that Shah had also raised money for the Friends of Al-Aqsa, members of which Mast alleged had worked with Interpal, a group the U.S. designated as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist group in 2003. The group’s founder has also met with Hamas leaders and praised terrorists.
“There is substantial public evidence that MP Shah has connections to known terrorist organizations,” Mast said. “It is imperative that the United States send a clear signal to the world that politicians who support terrorists are not welcome on American soil.”
Shah is scheduled to speak on Nov. 13 at a conference organized by the Muslim Public Affairs Council in Washington, D.C.; MPAC lists her as a “featured speaker” for the conference.
Shah was suspended from the Labour party in 2016 for a past social media post calling Israel to be “relocate[d]” to the United States. She also spoke at a 2021 rally where a speaker called for Israelis’ hands to be amputated.