The Director of Muslim rights group CAGE has refused to condemn the sickening practise of stoning women as a punishment for adultery.

On the BBC’s This Week programme, Asim Qureshi was asked about the views advocated by an Islamic scholar he had described as a mentor, who supports female genital mutilation and domestic violence as well as the barbaric method of capital punishment, the Express reports.

Presenter Andrew Neil refused to condemn the extreme opinions or his horrifying claim that Jews are descended from pigs and that homosexuality is evil. Instead, he just said, “I’m not a theologian.” When pushed by the fiery presenter, he wriggled out of a proper answer, simply saying, “I have absolutely no idea what you are talking about”.

Mr Neil said Mr Qureshi was using “weasel words” and said the Muslim activist had previously spoken in favour of Sharia law and jihad.

The CAGE director replied “As far as I am concerned, Sharia law isn’t practised correctly anywhere in the world.

“Jihad is part of the religion of Islam.”

These are the latest comments by a man who has caused outrage, having previously described ‘Jihadi John’, who was revealed to be Mohammed Emwazi, a 26 year old computer science graduate from London, the murderer of western hostages as “beautiful”.

Mr Qureshi described Emwazi as “such a beautiful young man” during a press conference, adding that the sadistic murderer was “extremely kind, extremely gentle and the most humble young person I ever knew.”

Rather than admitting an acquaintance of his had gone off the rails, he blamed the state for turning Emwazi into a monster, happy to decapitate innocent hostages on camera.

“When are we going to learn that when we treat people as if they are outsiders, they are going to feel like outsiders and they will look for belonging elsewhere?” he asked.

The Muslim group, which describes itself as ‘an independent advocacy organisation working to empower communities impacted by the War on Terror’ has previously made headlines when it was revealed two British charities had donated large sums of money to fund its activities.

The Roddick Foundation, responsible for distribution former Body Shop owner Anita Roddick’s £100million fortune gave a total of £120,000. The Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust, run by Quakers and linked to major Labour and Lib Dem backer the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, has given page £305,000 over a number of years including £135,000 in 2011, according to the New Indian Express.

The discovery prompted the charity to “review” its funding procedures, and an investigation into the group’s funding was started by the Charities Commission.

In addition, two MPs have previously spoken at a Cage sponsored event. Labour MP Sadiq Khan and Green MP Caroline Lucas took prt in an event protesting against the deportation to the US of Babar Ahmed.

Following extradition from Britain, Ahmed pleaded guilty to “conspiracy and providing material to support to terrorism”.