Keighley councillor and former Lord Mayor of Bradford vows to clear his name over anti-Semitism allegations

Councillor Khadim Hussain, who serves the Keighley Central ward, is alleged to have posted inappropriate messages on Facebook.

But he says he is "fiercely opposed" to any form of discrimination and will rigorously defend himself against the allegations.

His suspension came as Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn faced calls from Prime Minister David Cameron to “sort out” a rise in anti-Semitism in his party.

Yesterday, posts could be seen on Cllr Hussain’s Facebook page which appeared to link the so-called Islamic State terror group with Israel. One comment, made while sharing an article alleging Israel was arming Isis, said: “There is no doubt who created the so-called Isis and who is arming those vile terrorists!”

Cllr Hussain had also shared another post which said Hitler had killed “6 million Zionists”.

A spokesman for the Yorkshire and Humber Labour Party said: “Khadim Hussain has been suspended by the Labour Party, pending an investigation.”

It is understood Cllr Hussain, who had been due to stand for re-election this May, will now no longer be Labour’s candidate in Keighley Central.

Yesterday, Cllr Hussain said he was determined to clear his name and that his posts had been “taken out of context”.

He said: “I will be defending myself against these allegations. I have a strong track record of opposing all forms of discrimination and I am fiercely opposed to any anti-Semitism, Islamophobia or any form of racism. When I was Lord Mayor of Bradford I did a lot of work for community cohesion. I made several visits to the Bradford Synagogue and played a part in some fundraising they had.”

He said it was “unimaginable to think that someone with my blemish-free track record” would be anti-Semitic. He claimed all he had been highlighting on Facebook was “the evil face of hate”, adding: “All I am saying is evil has no faith, no religion, no ethnicity and no minority. Evil is evil.”