Ayatollah of the RAF: Dr Joel Hayward Academic ‘University’ Head

Posted on 10. Aug, 2011 by in Opinion

Dr Hayward is Muslim convert who claims Nazi gas chambers were British propaganda and criticises Libya air strikes

By Ian Gallagher

Last updated at 11:42 AM on 7th August 2011

The head of studies at the Royal Air Force pilot training college is a convert to Islam who has criticised Nato air strikes on Libya in a Muslim magazine.

Dr Joel Hayward is dean of the college at Cranwell, the RAF’s equivalent of Sandhurst, and has taught many of the pilots spearheading the military operation against Colonel Gaddafi.

But, to the dismay of defence chiefs, he has cast doubt on the widely held belief that the Nato actions averted the mass killing of civilians in Benghazi. He also warned against the RAF becoming ‘the air corps of a rebel army’.

Dr Hayward has previously expressed remorse after appearing to claim that far fewer Jews were killed by the Nazis than generally thought and that the gas chambers of the Holocaust were British propaganda.

In another article recently he likened Churchill to Mohammed.

The magazine article on Libya was published under the headline ‘The West runs the risks of its good intentions (and inconsistencies) leading to distrust’.

Dr Hayward wrote: ‘When western aircrafts began to destroy tanks and a downpour of missiles wrecked Libya’s air force and air defence system, various leaders congratulated themselves for preventing an “atrocity” or “slaughter” – evocative words which conjured up images of a Srebrenica-style massacre [the 1995 killing of Bosnian Muslims].

‘Yet we do not know that his army would have “slaughtered” civilians in a Srebrenica-style massacre.’

Dr Hayward also takes issue with the UN Security Council resolution authorising ‘all necessary measures’ to protect civilians from the dictator’s forces.

Describing the resolution as ‘elastic’, he says: ‘Strangely, that resolution condemned human rights abuses and torture to which the world (and the UN) had turned a blind eye for decades.’

His views and behaviour have caused disquiet among senior officers at RAF Cranwell, Lincolnshire, where he is the most senior academic and taught Prince William.

In a letter to The Mail on Sunday entitled The Air Force Ayatollah, one senior officer expressed concern that Dr Hayward was focusing more on ‘Islamist activities that are nothing to do with the RAF’.

High-flying student: Prince William was taught by Dr Hayward

High-flying student: Prince William was taught by Dr Hayward

He also accused him of giving Muslim cadets preferential treatment and making other students take a ‘softly, softly line when writing about Muslim terrorists/Islamist extremists’.

Another officer claimed cadets and lecturers ‘are in fear’ of expressing anything that might be construed as anti-Muslim sentiment. ‘Anyone who fails to follow the line that Islam is a peace-loving religion is hauled into his office for re-education,’ he said.

Last night Dr Hayward said he did not ‘recognise’ the allegations.

The Mail on Sunday understands that Dr Hayward’s views have embarrassed RAF chiefs, who feel that while he is entitled to his opinions, it was unwise for him to air them in a Muslim magazine.

Conservative MP Patrick Mercer, former chairman of the Commons counter-terrorism sub-committee, said: ‘I am delighted that the dean is not restricted in what he can say, as he would be in Islamist societies.

‘However, I very much hope that his views don’t conflict with any of his professional duties when teaching Her Majesty’s officers.’

It is not the first time the New Zealand-born academic has attracted controversy. In 2000, he was accused of denying the Holocaust after the publication of a thesis he had written in 1993 questioning the number of Jews killed. He claimed the idea of gas chambers being used was propaganda invented by Britain, the US and Jewish lobbyists. He has since expressed remorse over the ‘mistakes I made as an inexperienced student’.

Dr Hayward has frequently challenged claims of Islamic aggressiveness. Most recently, he wrote on the subject for the Cordoba Foundation, described by David Cameron as a front for the Islamist group, the Muslim Brotherhood. In that article, Dr Hayward likens the prophet Mohammed’s inspirational qualities to that of Sir Winston Churchill. He said Mohammed had to go to extra lengths – just as Churchill did in the Second World War – to exhort his people to believe in victory and fight for it.

Dr Hayward was appointed to RAF Cranwell in 2007, but was investigated the following year over complaints of ‘harassment and bullying’. It is not clear what became of the investigation. He is employed not by the RAF but by King’s College, London, which runs academic courses at Cranwell.

Dr Hayward defended his article on Nato airstrikes and said he wants a free Libya without Gaddafi. He added: ‘I write articles on a range of subjects for various scholarly journals and consistently the publications are anti-extremism, anti-terrorism and encouraging of a closer bond between the West and the Arab world.

‘In no sense am I anti-Western, I am proud to be Western, I strongly believe in the value system that we have in Britain. I believe in equality, democracy, freedom, plurality, human rights, women’s rights.’

An RAF spokesman said: ‘Dr Hayward writes for a number of publications. These activities are conducted in his own time and do not impinge on his duties in support of the RAF.’

Courtesy Daily Mail UK


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5 Responses to “Ayatollah of the RAF: Dr Joel Hayward Academic ‘University’ Head”

  1. Rehmat

    10. Aug, 2011

    I laud Dr. Hayward's courage to stand-up against the 'British Friends of Israel' by questioning the 20th century's greatest myth, 'Six Million Died'. However, having said that – Dr. Hayward cannot be bestowed upon the title of Ayatullah – something which even Iranian President Ahmadinejad has not earned for questioning the Zionist narrative of the Shoah. The best the Jewish Lobby did was called Ahmadinejad 'modern-day Hitler'. And let me remind readers, Ahmadinejad also holds a PhD in Engineering and had taught at University of Tehran for year before becoming Mayor of Tehran. Ahmadinejad in not an Ayatullah either.
    As for Holocaust and the war on Libya is concerned – both benefit Israel.
    Hannah Arendt, did expose Jewish-Nazi close relationship in her book ‘Eichmann in Jerusalem’.
    http://rehmat1.wordpress.com/2011/03/16/hannah-arendt-and-eichmanns-show-trail/
     
     

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  2. Rehmat

    11. Aug, 2011

    Interestingly, Ian forgot to mention that Dr. Joel Hayward's family have Jewish roots. Hayward is a former member of 'The New Zealand Friends of Israel' and the founder-president of Opposition to Anti-Semitism Inc. (OAS) at University of Canterbury till 1991.
    http://rehmat1.wordpress.com/2011/08/11/dean-of-raf-lobby-under-lobbys-knife/
     

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  3. ali

    17. Aug, 2011

    Islam is the fastest growing religion, it is not because you are some other or preaching very hard, actually mostly revert to Islam by seeing.
    well at this point I want every one to know the difference between CONVERT AND REVART, according to Islam every one born is a Muslim but he had to adopt the religion which is practised in his birth place, but when he accept Islam he REVERT back to his original religion which was Islam BUT yes a big BUT, if a Muslim change his religion to Christianity then he will be a CONVERT, please understand this and don't write CONVERT, say REVERT, this without any offence I am writing and I kept exploring peoples about this, OR DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH,
    I wish the new Muslim best of luck, and they will work to build the real image of Islam because they are now an authority on Islam ,since he made his own reading, did comparative studies and so on and on till he arrive to a conclusion.
    Islam is a religion of peace and it has a complete code of life, you name it and its there, I remember a site some 15 years ago, I don't know if it is still there or not please check it out, in Google write "miracles of 19". it give answer to lots of question not even known to most of us but I recommend, please do so at your own risk, it does not contain any virus or bacteria, protozoa, malware mill ware thieves or dacoits or criminals, goons  or any thing dirty, this is a good site. God bless us all and to all the world peoples, because the first verse of Quran is:
    ALLHAMD O LILAH RAB BIL AALAMIN
    All praise and thanks be to Allah, the Lord of existence.
    Just think about its meaning deeply I am sure you will cry and cry and will not go to the other verse deep inside this one line hidden every thing.
    Allah is for the entire world similarly prophet p.b.u.h. is
    REHMAT UL LIL ALAMIN
    It's Mercy to the worlds. / Mercy for the worlds
    So he is for every one BUT those who accept him as the last prophet p.b.u.h.
    Regards
    Ali

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  4. Rehmat

    19. Aug, 2011

    Currently, British minister of international development, Alan Duncan, is unde Jewish Lobby's knife for criticizing Israel's 'security wall' and Jewish theft of Arab water.
    http://rehmat1.wordpress.com/2011/08/19/alan-duncan-irks-british-israel-lobby/
     
     

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  5. Sarah Jackson

    30. Aug, 2012

    May this is rumor coz Daily Mail delete this News

    Reply to this comment

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