The High Court has ruled in favour of Mohamed Ali Harrath, founder of Islam Channel, by ordering a pro-Israel organisation to pay £140,000 in damages for libel.
Sir David Eady of the High Court of Justice Queen’s Bench Division, awarded Mr Harrath, the CEO of the London-based TV station, a significant payout during his defamation case against Stand for Peace and its spokesman, Samuel Westrop.
Judge Eady reiterated a wrongful allegation of terrorism would attract a large payout “since few if any allegations could be more serious”.
“Here, as almost always, they carry the imputation that the person so accused is prepared to take part in or to encourage indiscriminate murder,” he said.
Mr Harrath sued the organisation after it ran a story in 2014 branding him a convicted terrorist – a claim he maintains is false and libellous.
The news site claimed in June 2005, Harrath was sentenced in absentia for 56 years imprisonment by a Tunisian court, for being a member of a terrorist organisation and for terror-related offences.
The false slurs have left Harrath’s reputation in question, he recalled his experience of “embarrassment and hurt feelings and for the purpose of vindicating his reputation”.
In an exclusive interview with Asian World Mr Mohamed Ali Harrath explains what it felt like to be vilified and blamed by the media.
“I was trying to defend myself with my life. It’s a very bad feeling trying to live and getting blamed for something you didn’t do and something you don’t subscribe to, in fact I am completely opposed to.
But Thanks to God, I have a sense of relief. I was under so much stress.”
Over recent years, Stand For Peace – which identifies as a Jewish-Muslim Interfaith organisation – has targeted a number of well-known charities within the Muslim community on its website.
Celebrating his drawn out victory, Harrath said: “I am delighted by this result and I would like to thank the Judge, and the High Court, for its rigorous review of the evidence and its conclusions that the allegation against me was completely unfounded.”
“If you look at the article in Stand for Peace you’ll find that it was being quoted by the BBC, Sky, The Independent, The Times, The Telegraph and Channel 4. Samuel Westrop presents himself like an expert, but when he went to court he explained how he was just a young boy who is a blogger not a journalist,” he said.
“Justice, at last, has been done, it has been delayed but it has not been denied. They are trying to derail any communication between minority communities, especially the Muslim community, and the government. They are also contributing to the Islamophobia machine in this country.
“I hope that in future any media or other entity that chooses to comment about me will take careful note of Sir David Eady’s observations. Mr Westrop and Stand for Peace had previously lauded themselves as experts on subjects of this kind and had been cited widely in the mainstream media.
“Yet, when it came to trying to excuse his conduct in publishing this grave libel, it became clear that the research that Mr Westrop had undertaken had been wholly inadequate and he tried to explain himself on the basis that he was “self-taught” rather than a professional journalist. The Court clearly had little sympathy for such excuses” He adds.
Stand for Peace are a small organisation, and are reported to have no assets and therefore cannot yet pay costs or damages.
Mr Mohamed adds: “Justice, at last, has been done, it has been delayed but it has not been denied.
“They are trying to derail any communication between minority communities, especially the Muslim community, and the government. They are also contributing to the Islamophobia machine in this country.”
