He tried to calm tensions following the aftermath of the September 11 attacks in 2001. However, on 23 February 2005, he hosted a book launch in the House of Lords for the controversial Swedish writer Israel Shamir, during which the latter claimed, among other things: "The Jews like an Empire... This love of Empire explains the easiness Jews change their allegiance... Simple minds call it 'treacherous behaviour', but it is actually love of Empire per se." Shamir also claimed, "Jews... own, control and edit a big share of mass media", a statement that was to be echoed by Lord Ahmed in 2012. Although this invitation raised some controversy, Ahmed firmly refused to discuss the matter.