SACC Statement on the Telegraph's Attempted Smearing of our Conference
17 December 2025 - SACC
SACC is appalled at the disgraceful article published in the Telegraph about the conference on Islamophobia that we held in Glasgow on Sunday 14 December. The article, dated 15 December, was written by the Telegraph’s Scottish Reporter, Jacob Freedland. It grossly misrepresents a speech made by Moazzam Begg, International Director of Cage International, at our conference.
The article claims that, in discussing the impact of TikTok posts in late 2023 that referenced Osama bin Laden’s “Letter to America” published in the Guardian in 2002, Moazzam Begg described Osama bin Laden as “that voice of freedom.” He did not. He described the Guardian as “that voice of freedom.” He said:
“And, as if by magic, the Guardian removed - that voice of freedom and opinion removed - something that had been on their website for close to or over two decades. They don’t want anyone to think, to make those connections.”
A fuller excerpt from Moazzam Begg’s speech appears at the end of this statement.
The Telegraph article was based on a recording they obtained and transcribed in a way that appears to be intended to mislead readers.
SACC spokesperson Richard Haley said:
“I spoke on the same panel as Moazzam Begg at the conference. It was perfectly clear to me that he was referring to the Guardian when he spoke of ‘that voice of freedom and opinion’ and I think it would have been perfectly clear to everyone in the room. I also think it should be clear to anyone who listens properly to the recording that the Telegraph relied on, and that it is even clearer if you listen to the whole of the speech, of which we have our own record.”
The views of speakers at our conference were their own, or the views of organisations they represent, and are not necessarily endorsed by SACC. A number of speakers expressed views that do not precisely align with SACC’s position. But we will not stand by when one of our guests is misrepresented in the media.
It is unclear how the Telegraph obtained the recording. SACC did not ask people who attended the conference to refrain from recording, so we have no objection to the recording having been made unless it involved underhand tactics by a journalist. But we would not expect anyone with a genuine interest in attending the conference to share it with media without consulting us, and we would certainly not expect them to pass it to a media outlet like the Telegraph. If someone did so in the belief that the Telegraph is a respectable newspaper, we hope that they have learned their lesson.
The Telegraph quotes Glasgow Tory MSP Annie Wells as saying: “Serious questions must be asked as to why the organisers deemed it appropriate to give a platform to this individual.”
She appears to have been misled by the Telegraph. We hope that she will be more careful in the future in how she responds to outlandish media claims.
The Telegraph article claims that SACC was approached for comment. We are not aware of any such approach.
Update 19 December: Jacob Freedland had sent a message via the contact form on Richard Haley's personal blog, which was not being frequently monitored, instead of using the contact details on the SACC website. There were no articles or announcements about the conference on the blog, whereas the conference was strongly promoted on the SACC website.
The conference was co-organised by SACC, Decolonial International Network (DIN) and Islamic Human Rights Network (IHRC), in association with a conference similarly co-organised that was held in London a week earlier. As host of the Glasgow conference, responsibility for the arrangements fell primarily to us and we appear to be the main target of the Telegraph’s disgraceful article. We are therefore issuing this statement in addition to the joint statement by IHRC DIN and SACC.
Moazzam Begg’s speech at the Conference
Transcript of the relevant part of Moazzam Begg’s speech:
“At the beginning, or not long after, the genocide in 2023 had begun there was a series of videos that went viral amongst young American girls. I’m talking about early twenties, nineteens and twenties. And it was shocking that it had gone viral. It went so viral that the cause of it being viral had to be removed. And that was a letter written by Osama bin Laden to the people of America that was published in the Guardian and remained on their website for the last twenty plus years. It’s called Osama bin Laden’s letter to America. And in that letter he writes the reasons behind 9/11. Because, if you think about it, they opened Guantanamo because of 9/11. That’s the reason why they opened it. And its been twenty five years, almost, since that dreadful deed happened.
But not a single person, after hundreds of people have been detained, two countries have been invaded, maybe a million and a half people have been killed, not a single person has been convicted for any role in the September 11 attacks. And one of the reasons in my view is because, even if they have, as they have allegedly in Guantanamo with a man called Khaled Sheikh Mohammed, who is the alleged mastermind. He’s been imprisoned close to twenty years without charge or trial.
So the question – you have to beg the question – the greatest terrorist attack against America in its history and yet nobody knows why, nobody – because in court you’d have to have yes, did you do it, times, places dates, people, a mindset, reasons, motives. What’s the reason? Why did 9/11 happen? Could it be any clearer than what bin Laden said himself in that letter? He mentions in that letter one place twenty times. Palestine. Palestine and Israel. Not Afghanistan, not Iraq, not Somalia though those were all places of conflict with the United States of America.
Agree with him, disagree with him, condemn him, praise him, he mentions it. And the girls on TikTok, you know what they started to say? Now, I understand. Now I understand why 9/11 happened. And, as if by magic, the Guardian removed - that voice of freedom and opinion removed - something that had been on their website for close to or over two decades. They don’t want anyone to think, to make those connections.”
Photo: Moazzam Begg at the Islamophobia Conference in Glasgow, 14 December 2025 © James McSporran, all rights reserved
