Muslim US Cleric Barred From UK After Hamas Remarks
9th January 2026
The U.K. home secretary has barred a New Jersey–based Islamic scholar from entering Britain after determining that his past statements appeared to support Hamas following the Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attacks on Israel, the Daily Telegraph reported this week.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood banned Dr. Shadee Elmasry, an Islamic cleric from New Jersey, prompting the cancellation of several scheduled speaking engagements in Birmingham, Bolton, and Ilford.
The U.K. home secretary serves a role similar to that of the U.S. secretary of homeland security, overseeing border control and national security matters.
British authorities cited social media posts made by Elmasry after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack, in which more than 1,200 people were killed in Israel.