NHS lifts suspension of Dr Wahid Asif Shaida, a London GP who celebrated the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel

In October, Dr Shaida led anti-Israel protests where chants of “jihad” were heard, and he described the October 7 massacre as “a welcome punch in the face”. He had previously sought to justify the attempted murder of Sir Salman Rushdie.

Dr Shaida resigned from his role as chairman of Hizb ut-Tahrir’s UK executive committee – where he used the pseudonym Abdul Wahid – after the government declared the organisation a terrorist organisation, with its followers facing prison sentences of up to 14 years.

A panel of the British National Health Service (NHS) learned that Dr. Shaida had not been involved with the terrorist group in any way since it was banned.

“Concerns about fitness for work”

The General Medical Council (GMC) has never suspended or withdrawn Dr Shaida’s licence to practice, allowing him to continue to work privately, but has previously stated that his association with an organisation which “supports anti-Semitic views and encourages terrorist acts… raises potential concerns about his suitability to practice the profession”.

It was said that the investigation was still ongoing, but the general practitioner was still registered on the medical register, making it possible for him to return to work.

Until his suspension, he had worked as a general practitioner at GP Direct in Harrow, north London, for over 20 years.

Dr Shaida was able to raise over £51,000 to obtain “legal assistance” for his case and was represented by the law firm Rahman Lowe, who announced his “victory” on Monday.

“Strong convictions”

A statement said Dr Shaida had “never hidden his political affiliation” and “sincerely held strong beliefs regarding the occupation of Palestine.”

“The NHS England panel concluded that there was insufficient evidence to justify dismissal on fitness for purpose or efficiency grounds,” said Rahman Lowe. “The panel accepted that Dr Shaida did not condone violence and that his contributions were made in the heat of the news he received.”

Hizb ut-Tahrir was founded in 1953 and is active in at least 32 countries, including the UK, the US, Canada and Australia. Its goal is to establish a caliphate under Islamic law.