An Islamic preacher who endorses the execution of gay people has been prevented from attending an event at the University of East London (UEL) after it was cancelled.

Khalid Yasin says homosexuality and lesbianism are “aberrations, they are immoralities.”

He also praises public executions and claims HIV/AIDS is a western and World Health Organisation conspiracy to kill Africans.

Yasin, along with another extremist preacher called Jalal Ibn Saeed, were due to take part in an Islamist meeting at UEL’s Stratford campus last Friday.

However, following protests by the university’s LGBT society, the Braki blog, and human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell, the student union confirmed that the meeting had been cancelled

“Universities are supposed to be places of enlightenment, tolerance, liberalism and human rights. It is shocking the way student Islamist societies are promoting hate preachers who are anti-Semitic, sexist, homophobic and who abuse fellow Muslims who do not conform to their hardline interpretation of Islam,” said Mr Tatchell.

Loren Wright, the LGBT Society president, said: “It is good that this event didn’t go ahead but the student union and university still could have publicly denounced the fact that the speakers had been scheduled.

“I think it would have been fairer to students and the surrounding community to have the university and student union publicly release a statement criticising this event; making it clear that the university is a place of diversity and equality”.

Last month, homophobic cleric Abu Usamah at-Thahabi, who has advocated that gay men should be thrown off mountains, was prevented from giving a speech at the University of Reading.