Reform UK inflaming hostility against Muslims, main British Muslims warn

Leading British Muslims are caution that Nigel Farage’s Reform UK is more and more inflaming opposed sentiment against Muslims after chair Zia Yusuf resigned over a row about banning the burqa.

His departure used to be described by means of the co-chair of the British Muslim Network, a brand new civil team representing the group, as a “stark illustration” that many in Reform don’t view British Muslims as valued equivalent individuals of society.

Yusuf, who describes himself as a ‘British Muslim patriot’ and chaired the occasion for lower than a yr, give up on Thursday, pronouncing his paintings for Reform used to be now not the most productive use of his time.

Hours previous, he had stated it used to be “dumb” for the occasion’s latest MP, Sarah Pochin, to press Keir Starmer for a burqa ban when it used to be no longer Reform’s personal coverage.

However, Farage didn’t weigh in in the back of Yusuf and known as for a debate at the factor.

Farage has drawn a line previously on the rhetoric of the some distance proper activist referred to as Tommy Robinson, who’s openly anti-Islam, and has driven out Reform activists and figures extra sympathetic to Robinson comparable to Rupert Lowe and Ben Habib.

However, the occasion’s focal point on problems associated with Islam seems to have higher in fresh weeks with Farage retaining a debate on his GB News display this week at the burqa.

The Guardian has discovered that Pochin, a former Tory, additionally not too long ago posed with a mug branded “Two Tier Keir” that presentations Starmer mocked up dressed in a burqa in a design that seems to be implying he’s extra beneficial to Muslims than different teams.

Baroness Shaista Gohir, leader govt of the Muslim Women’s Network UK, stated political leaders “play a crucial role in shaping societal attitudes, and it is evident that some MPs intentionally use coded language to normalise hostility towards Muslims and appeal to anti-Muslim sentiment”.

“This pattern of anti-Muslim rhetoric, has been present for some time and was particularly intensified by certain Conservative MPs during the previous Conservative government. This is a frightening time for Muslims – barely a week goes by without statements that reinforce harmful stereotypes, fuel fear and hatred, and deepen societal intolerance. Muslim women who wear the headscarf in particular, are made to feel especially vulnerable and unsafe.”

Her place used to be echoed by means of Akeela Ahmed, co-chair of the newly shaped British Muslim Network, who stated: “The resignation of Zia Yusuf is a stark illustration that many in Reform do not view British Muslims as valued equal members of British society and think it is acceptable to push anti-Muslim hostility and sentiments as part of their party polices and campaigns.

“Free speech and expression is a fundamental principle of a healthy society and democracy. By the same token, so is freedom of religion and belief. In this context, the demonisation and weaponisation of British Muslims and their religious practices as one homogenous group to politically point score is a deeply troubling trend that has become increasingly visible and normalised in Reform UK, among both its senior politicians and supporters.

“This kind of political behaviour foments division and isolates British people from each other.”

Afzal Khan, a Labour MP and vice-chair of the all-party parliamentary team on British Muslims, stated anti-Muslim rhetoric by means of politicians had the ability to purpose spikes in hate incidents against Muslims, comparable to when Boris Johnson had referred to girls dressed in burqas as letterboxes.

“Picking on a very small minority within a minority who use the burqa, how does that make sense? It should be an important opportunity to ask the prime minister about serious issues facing this country. What does it say about their priorities?”

Sayeeda Warsi, the previous Tory cupboard minister, advised Times Radio that Pochin calling for a debate at the burqa were “dog whistle” politics.

“I just think this is such a fringe issue and literally I think Sarah Pochin on her first outing at PMQs in parliament used it as a way to gain a bit of attention and engage in a little bit of dog whistle politics,” she stated. “Of the 50 odd thousand people in her constituency about 500 are Muslim which is probably about half a percent of which I presume half might be women, I presume maybe a tiny handful might wear the burqa. You’d think she’d just been elected by the people of Runcorn to come to parliament to raise issues like the cost of living, like children in poverty, like the other challenges that her constituents face but she obviously decided to focus on this because it was just an attention-seeking dog whistle moment.”

Yusuf didn’t point out the burqa row in his resignation observation on X however resources stated they concept he had turn into more and more disenchanted with the willingness of Reform to enchantment to anti-Muslim sentiment when it might had been that specialize in problems like the price of dwelling and migration.

Some of the names tipped to be the occasion’s new chair come with Arron Banks, the Brexit donor and Reform candidate, Richard Tice, the deputy chief, and David Bull, a TV presenter and previous deputy chief.