UK police charge local religious party leader with hate crimes

Murad Ali, the UK-based leader of Tehreek-e-Labaik Pakistan (TLP), has been formally charged with racially and religiously aggravated harassment by the UK’s Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).

According to local media reports, the CPS confirmed that the charge involves non-violent but targeted harassment, allegedly motivated by racial and religious hatred.

The accused, born on 15 May 1990, appeared before Willesden Magistrates’ Court and pleaded not guilty. He has been granted conditional bail and is scheduled for a pre-trial preparation hearing on 18 August at Harrow Crown Court.

According to the Metropolitan Police, the case stems from a complaint lodged by a Pakistani-origin showbiz promoter who, along with colleagues, was allegedly subjected to sustained harassment. The police said Murad Ali used public spaces and social media platforms — particularly TikTok and WhatsApp — to incite sectarian hatred and harm the victim’s personal and professional reputation.

Authorities began investigating in June 2024, reviewing hundreds of online posts that reportedly targeted the victim and others over their religious beliefs. Police stated that while no physical violence was involved, the behaviour met the threshold for aggravated harassment under UK law.

Murad Ali is accused of promoting sectarian hate and declaring members of minority Muslim sects as non-believers through his online content. TLP is a proscribed organisation in the UK, classified as an extremist group.