Members of a UK-wide network of student groups are selling pro-Iran merchandise and hosting speakers who support the Islamic Republic, the JC can reveal.
There are 45 Ahlulbayt Societies – also known as Absocs – across the country, many of which operate without controversy, and are all organised by the Muslim Student Council (MSC) as an umbrella body.
Knick-knacks available at the nationals Absoc conference at KCL last month (Photo: Instagram)[Missing Credit]
But a number of participants of the Shia student hub organisation are operating in a way that has raised concern over “youth extremism”, according to the Community Security Trust (CST).
At a national MSC conference last month which took place at the King’s College London (KCL) campus, the autobiography of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali was on sale along with a book about an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) fighter.
Students and other visitors could also buy a bookmark bearing the words, “By the grace of God, our leader is Seyyed Ali” – Khamenei’s name – and another saying: “In the path of Khomeini we march,” referring to the Islamic Republic’s founder.
Hassanein shared an image of Khamenei and a child with the caption 'you cannot defeat a people whose youngest long for martyrdom' (Photo: Instagram)[Missing Credit]
The conference took place at KCL barely a week after thousands of protesters in Iran had been killed by the regime’s security forces.
Among the speakers at the conference was Shia influencer Batool Subeiti, who once called October 7 “unprecedented revenge” in a post, praising the “creativity and execution” of the Hamas-led attack.
She has been pictured with a Hezbollah leader in Lebanon and was a contributor to Iran’s state broadcaster Press TV. Last April, Subeiti also addressed students at the University of Glasgow’s Absoc.
Also listed as a “conference mentor” was Sayyid Haider Hassanein, who during the Israel-Iran war last year shared an image of Khamenei and a child with the caption: “You cannot defeat a people whose youngest long for martyrdom.”
More objects available at KCL (Photo: Instagram)[Missing Credit]
On the account called “talabeh couple” which he runs with his wife, he has also shared a video of Khomeini preaching about “this root of corruption, Israel” that will be “be plucked out of the al-Aqsa Mosque”.
At a “meet and greet” event at the University of Greenwich’s Absoc, bookmarks depicting Iran’s supreme leader were scattered among sweets. In December, an event at UCL featured a discussion on Khomeini’s book, Forty Hadith.
One Absoc speaker, Hassan al-Qadri, has shown support for the regime online. In one post, he told his followers to “never forget” that “we love death like they love life”.
Qadri told his followers that any new regime in Iran would be 'run by a Zionist puppet' (Photo: Instagram)[Missing Credit]
Last month, Qadri attended a rally outside the Islamic Centre for England featuring Iranian flags and banners bearing Khamenei’s image.
In one video shared to his 16k followers, he said “every Shia should stand with the Islamic Republic of Iran” and warned that regime change would be “run by a Zionist puppet”.
He also railed against a cleric who visited a Jewish school, describing Sayed Ali Abbas Razawi as “the chief Imam of the Zionists” after he attended JFS for an interfaith event.
Subeiti spoke to Glasgow students (Photo: Instagram)[Missing Credit]
Shia preacher Hussain Makke has mourned Hezbollah fighters and was banned from entering Australia after he attended the funeral of terrorist group Hezbollah’s leader Hassan Nasrallah. Last year, the JC reported that Makke runs a Shia training camp called the Spiritual Warrior Camp. In December 2024, Makke appeared at a Soas Absoc discussion titled “upholding Islamic values in a godless society”. He joined Westminster Absoc for a “hike for Lebanon” in November 2024, and spoke at an “Absoc for Justice” event last February.
Makke addressing an Absoc event in a Soas lecture theatre (Photo: Instagram)[Missing Credit]
Shia cleric Mohammad Khani was also among the mourners at Nasrallah’s funeral, and attended an Absoc event at Soas in January last year. Khani, based in Denmark, has shared an image describing Khomeini as “the mystic warrior,” and a post that featured artwork of a baby in a man’s arms being pierced by a Magen David.
Khani cross-shared an Instagram post which featured an artwork of a baby in a man’s arms being pierced by a spear bearing a Magen David (Photo: Instagram)[Missing Credit]
The Instagram account “Absoc for Justice” describes itself as the “activist wing” of MSC. Just days ago, it promoted a “Zionism off our campus” protest with City Action for Palestine. A poster image showed Michael Ben-Gad – the Israeli professor whose lecture in London was invaded by a protest last year – in an army uniform with golden Magen David epaulettes and accused him of “complicity in genocide”.
Several Absocs posted on Instagram in apparent mourning for Nasrallah – leader of Hezbollah, proscribed as a terrorist organisation in the UK – after he was killed by an IDF strike last year.
At the University of Hertfordshire, the Absoc recommended a prayer for its followers. In Liverpool, the society shared an image of Nasrallah after his death. The University of Kent Absoc posted an image of an inverted red triangle – a symbol used by Hamas to denote military targets – with a caption that stated [we will] “inflict punishment upon the criminals”.
Absoc for Justice shared information about a protest against Professor Michael Ben-Gad at City University (Photo: Instagram)[Missing Credit]
In written evidence to parliament, the CST said that at least 18 Absocs posted material on Instagram appearing to mourn or glorify Nasrallah following his assassination.The CST report warned of a “pattern” of Absocs praising Hezbollah. It cited an online event in November 2024 that listed several Absocs as cohosts, including Sheffield, UCL, Cambridge and Durham.
Titled “Israel: Power & Propaganda,” the meeting aired conspiracies around Zionist influence, including the “capturing of institutions, weaponising antisemitism, perpetrating false flag antisemitic incidents and Jewish students spreading Israeli PR on campus”.
LFI honorary vice chair Damien Egan MP said: “Sadly, to hear that dozens of students groups up and down the country are handing out hateful, antisemitic materials calling for the destruction of Israel and in support of terror groups like Hezbollah – and the Iranian regime itself, is no longer surprising. CST’s figures are very clear and extremism against Jews is being normalised. Where are our university leaders? Why do they tolerate so much hate against Jews on their campuses?”
A government spokesperson told the JC: “There is no place for extremism on university campuses, and we are looking closely into these deeply concerning allegations. Universities should take their Prevent duties seriously and ensure robust steps are in place to stop extremist activity and keep students safe.”
Social media page, Absoc for Justice, posted numerous photographs of the Iranian regime flag (Photo: Instagram)[Missing Credit]
The Muslim Student Council said it did not provide the merchandise at the KCL event and it “always operates in accordance with English law.”
A KCL spokesperson said “We are committed to upholding the right of freedom of expression within the law, and when student societies choose to host events, we work closely with the independent King’s College Student Union (KCLSU) to ensure these can take place safely and in line with this commitment.”
A video of Khomeini cross-shared by Hassanein via the account he shares with his wife (Photo: Instagram)[Missing Credit]
Qadri said concerns about Shia extremism is “a fake issue”.
“I am not an organiser of protests, and I am not a mentor for any Absoc or similar group.
“My comments about protecting the Islamic Centre of England – which is a mosque – are set against the backdrop of multiple violent attacks against it.
“To protect a place of worship is a moral imperative, and I have only ever advocated lawful safeguarding of the mosque for the safety of families and children.”
He said he had called for “restraint and de-escalation", adding, “The phrase ‘we love death like they love life’ was a religious expression concerning belief in the afterlife and not being intimidated. It was not a call to violence or harm.
He said his remarks about Razawi were “political criticism and opinion” and reiterated, “he should be hosted in our mosques and spaces.”
Khani did not directly respond to request for comment, but told his 14,000 followers the JC was “in no position to ask questions”.
The JC approached Subeiti, Hassanein and Makke for comment.
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