British politician Lord Nazir Ahmed has quit Labour party after attributing his prison sentence to pressure applied on the court by Jews \u00c5\u201cwho own newspapers and television channels,\u201d local media reports.\n<\/p>\n
The 55-year-old Labor MP, who became one of the first Muslim peers in the UK after former Prime Minister Tony Blair appointed him in 1998, was jailed in 2009 after he killed a motorist when sending text messages while driving.\n<\/p>\n
Nargess Moballeghi, Press TV\u00e2\u201e\u00a2s correspondent in London, asked Lord Ahmed earlier about his decision to step down from Labour party.\n<\/p>\n
\u00c5\u201cThis was a very difficulty step, I\u00e2\u201e\u00a2m very hurt, because I\u00e2\u201e\u00a2ve been a member of the Labour party for 38 years, a party I have represented locally as well as nationally and regionally that I\u00e2\u201e\u00a2ve been very proud of\u201d, said the Lord desperately.\n<\/p>\n
Press TV\u00e2\u201e\u00a2s correspondent asked the Lord if there were any evidence to affirm claims against him.\n<\/p>\n
\u00c5\u201c\u2026..for the last 12 months there have been 3 videos that have come out of Pakistan, all in Urdu, two of them have been proved wrong and the third one, which The Times<\/i> claims has made some allegations, it\u00e2\u201e\u00a2s on their website, they promised my solicitor they would give him a copy of the video, they failed to do so. When he said he wants to get it forensically tested, they refused to give it and the Labour party does not have it.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\u00c5\u201c\u2026..if you want me to appear before a kangaroo court or somewhere were decisions are already, a summary trail if you like, then I\u00e2\u201e\u00a2m afraid I\u00e2\u201e\u00a2m not prepared to go in front of anybody where decisions have already been made about allegations that are not true.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\u00c5\u201cFirst of all let me make it very clear, I\u00e2\u201e\u00a2m not anti-Semitic, I\u00e2\u201e\u00a2ve never been. I criticise Israel\u00e2\u201e\u00a2s policy on Palestine and Gaza, I talk about the treatment of Palestinians both in Gaza, occupied West Bank and al-Quds. But I\u00e2\u201e\u00a2ve never been anti-Jewish. I\u00e2\u201e\u00a2ve worked with Jewish communities and roganisation and I\u00e2\u201e\u00a2m very proud that I have done because I want to build relations. I have so much in common with Jewish communities, from cradle to grave, halal to kosher, we have similarities and I have no problem with that.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\u00c5\u201cI don\u00e2\u201e\u00a2t want to go in to conspiracy theories, what I\u00e2\u201e\u00a2m saying is – the fact is that this happened in the last 12 months, the fact is I\u00e2\u201e\u00a2ve been searching for truth, the fact is I\u00e2\u201e\u00a2m not anti-Semitic,\u201d Lord Ahmad noted.\n<\/p>\n
MOL\/PR<\/p>\n