Teather calls for meeting with Foreign Secretary to discuss the murder of Sayyid Abdul Majid al-Khoei

2.26.35pm UTC (GMT +0000) Fri 15th Oct 2004

Sarah Teather MP has asked for a meeting with the Foreign Secretary

Local Liberal Democrat MP Sarah Teather has called for a meeting with Foreign Secretary, Jack Straw to discuss the murder of Sayyid Abdul Majid al-Khoei, the respected Shia cleric in Iraq eighteen months ago. The Brent East MP is calling on the British Government to use its influence to bring his killers to justice. The MP's call follows new evidence broadcast on Radio 4's 'Today' programme earlier this week.

Local Liberal Democrat MP Sarah Teather said:

"I've asked the Foreign Secretary to meet with me to reassure me that the British Government will continue to use its influence to bring justice for Sayyid Abdul Majid al-Khoei's family.

"Not only has a family lost a father but the international community has lost a man of integrity who is respected and revered who could have been highly influential in the painful journey to rebuild Iraq. His loss is also still deeply felt in Kilburn.

"Eighteen months after his death we have seen little progress towards justice in this case. Whatever deals may or may not have been made by the Americans with rebel fighters in Iraq the rule of law must be upheld. The common good is not served by letting murderers walk free."

Sayyid Abdul Majid al-Khoei was a resident in Kilburn, where he lived with his wife and four children.

He came to the UK in 1991 after fleeing Iraq following the uprising there.

Majid al-Khoei is a descendant of a long line of well-respected Shia clerics. His father was Grand Ayatollah al-Khoei, leader of the Shia faith.

His father founded the al-Khoei foundation an UN-affiliated body, which works to promote the well-being of Shia and non-Shia Muslims. The foundation has been influential in breaking down barriers of misunderstanding about the Shia faith as well as undertaking charity work. Its international headquarters is based on Salusbury Road, Queens Park, Brent.

Majid al-Khoei took over the running of his father's foundation after his father died in Saddam Hussein's custody and his elder brother was assassinated in a car crash thought to be at Saddam Hussein's hands.

Majid al-Khoei had spent all of his adult life under the shadow of Saddam and the persecution of his faith. However, he preached a doctrine of tolerance and inter-faith dialogue in his time as an exile in the UK. He had been an adviser to Tony Blair on inter-faith matters.

After the fall of Baghdad in April 2003 he answered the call from the allies for exiles to return to help with the reconstruction of Iraq. Friends and family begged him not to go because of the instability in the country but the love of his country and his sense of duty compelled him to do so.

He was assassinated violently within days of his return, thought to be at the hands of Moqtada al-Sadr supporters. An Iraqi judge has issued an arrest warrant for al-Sadr, however, eighteen months after Majid al-Khoei's death, al-Sadr still remains to be questioned about the murder. There have been press reports of a deal between al-Sadr and American forces in an effort to bring about an end to violent fighting in Iraq. This may make his arrest unlikely.

An eye-witness account from a Shia cleric who was with Majid al-Khoei when he died was broadcast on Radio 4's 'Today' programme this week. In response to this new information Brent East MP Sarah Teather requested that the Foreign Secretary meet her to discuss the influence the British Government has in Iraq to bring his killers to justice.