Church of England vicar faces backlash for sharing article blaming Israel for 9/11: Report

A Church of England vicar could face removal after allegations that he posted antisemitic articles online blaming Israel for 9/11 and also shared content with Holocaust deniers. According to a report by the Daily mail, a disciplinary committee was formed to investigate the charges against 68-year-old Reverend Dr Stephen Sizer, after the Board of Deputies of British Jews filed a complaint alleging 11 occurrences of antisemitism. It was the first time the board had filed a complaint against a church member in its 260-year history. Sizer reportedly posted the article titled: "9/11: Israel did it."

Meanwhile, Dr Sizer claimed that his actions were political and intended at the state of Israel, not Jewish individuals and that they were not anti-semitic. Normally, church tribunals are held in private, but he has chosen to hold it in public as he wants absolute clearance of all charges against him. Dr Sizer has been accused of 11 separate acts of anti-Semitism, dating back to 2005 when he attended the Islamic Human Rights Commission's conference titled 'Towards a New Liberation Theology.' 

Dr Sizer met a senior Hezbollah commander in 2006

In the summer of 2006, Dr Sizer also met with senior Hezbollah commander Sheikh Nabil Kaouk and is accused of spreading the notion that Israel was behind the 9/11 attacks on the United States. The case was being presented by Nicholas Leviseur, who stated that the Board of Deputies represents the majority of British Jews.

"With some 400,000 Jews in the UK, it is not hard to find some who do not want to be part of any representation, but to say that the Board of Deputies does not represent the views of a vast majority is a silly submission in our view," Leviseur stated, as per the Daily Mail. 

Scottish Council of Jewish Communities reveal Sizer's affiliation with Holocaust deniers 

It is worth mentioning here that Sizer's affiliation with Holocaust deniers and antisemitic platforms has been revealed by the Scottish Council of Jewish Communities. Meanwhile, Sizer's lawyer, Stephen Hofmeyr, argued that the vicar does not share the antisemitic sentiments of those articles his client shared online.

"It is important to note that not one word or statement from Dr Sizer has been shown to be antisemitic. There are none," Hofmeyr remarked.

(Image: AP/Representative)