Donald Trump named 'Islamophobe of the Year' by UK pressure group

Donald Trump has been named 'Islamophobe of the Year' by a UK-based advocacy group for his call to ban all Muslims from entering the US.

The Islamic Human Rights Organisation (IHRO) named the Republican presidential hopeful "the world's worst Islamophobe" at an annual event in London, which the group said attempts "to subvert Islamophobia through comedy while addressing a serious and significant issue".

"Until we are able to determine and understand this problem and the dangerous threat it poses, our country cannot be the victims of horrendous attacks by people that believe only in jihad, and have no sense of reason or respect for human life," he said at the time.

Other international nominees listed at the IHRO event on Saturday included Tajikistan, the French magazine Charlie Hebdo and far-right Dutch politician Geert Wilders.

Trump's statement led to a British petition calling for the billionaire businessman to be banned from the UK for "hate speech".

The petition was signed by 574,000 British residents and citizens and led to a debate in parliament. Both British Prime Minister David Cameron and Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn opposed the ban, and parliament voted against barring him.

Cameron, right-wing columnist Katie Hopkins, Maajid Nawaz, the chairman of think-tank Quilliam, and the British police were all nominated for the title of UK Islamophobe of the Year, with the PM being named at the event for comments on Muslim women being "traditionally submissive".

IHRO was criticised last year when it named Charlie Hebdo the international Islamophobe award, despite 12 of its staff being called in a terrorist attack months earlier.

Middle East Eye has contacted Donald Trump's office for a statement. At the time of publication they had not responded.