London Mayor Sadiq Khan denies he'll meet Egypt's Grand Mufti during parliamentary visit

The Mayor of London has denied that he will meet Egypt’s Grand Mufti, notorious for approving hundreds of executions, during the Egyptian's visit to the UK capital.

Mufti Shawki Allam, who was invited to the UK by parliament, arrived in Britain on Sunday.

Before leaving Egypt, Allam said he would make a speech in front of the House of Commons and the House of Lords and would meet with a number of senior UK politicians - including Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London.

He also announced that he will deliver lectures and seminars in a number of forums and British research centres.

After British Muslim activists and organisations launched a campaign urging Khan not to meet Allam, a spokesperson for the mayor said there are no plans for a meeting between the two.

“Despite what the Grand Mufti may have said, the Mayor has no plans to meet with him during his visit to the UK. I believe the Grand Mufti has been invited over by an All Party Parliamentary Group but the Mayor has no involvement in this”, a spokesperson for Khan told 5Pillars.

British Muslims co-signed an open letter to Khan that pointed to Allam's poor human rights record, including his approval of executions since he was appointed Grand Mufti almost a decade ago.

"Since assuming the position of Grand Mufti in 2013, Shawki Allam has approved hundreds of executions, many of which are of political prisoners and critics of the government, in unfair trials without due process in a blatant disregard for human life and human rights", the letter said.

Egypt has roundly been condemned for its use of executions, with Human Rights Watch last year accusing the country's judiciary of committing an "execution frenzy".