UK: Tory leadership hopeful calls for arrest of those who shout ‘Allahu Akbar’
Senior Conservative MP Robert Jenrick has been slammed by Muslim MPs and civil society groups for calling for Muslims who shout “Allahu Akbar”, meaning “God is great”, in the street to be immediately arrested.
The comments come amid ongoing far-right anti-Muslim riots in the UK. Jenrick served as immigration minister from 2022 to 2023 in Rishi Sunak’s government and is now standing to be the next party leader.
In an interview on Sky News on Wednesday morning, the politician was asked whether there is “two-tier policing” in the UK, a reference to the idea common in sections of the British right that the police treat white people more harshly than ethnic minorities.
Jenrick replied that he has been critical of police handling of pro-Palestinian protests since 7 October.
“I thought it was quite wrong that someone could shout ‘Allahu Akbar’ on the streets of London and not be immediately arrested,” he said, “or project genocidal chants onto Big Ben, and that person not be immediately arrested.”
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The phrase “Allahu Akbar” is used by Muslims in daily prayers, and often as an exclamation.
Jenrick’s commons have provoked anger among Muslim politicians and activists.
Muslim MP Zarah Sultana remarked on X, formerly Twitter: “When we say Islamophobia and racism is normalised and goes unchallenged, this is literally what we’re talking about.”
Apsana Begum, another Muslim MP, similarly said: “Islamophobia and racism is so entrenched, it goes unchallenged.”
The Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) said that the phrase “Allahu Akbar” is “recited publicly and privately by billions of Muslims around the world as they offer their solemn prayers and praise God.
“Mr Jenrick’s claim that politicians should choose their words wisely during this crisis rings hollow as he reaches for Islamophobic rhetoric, the lowest common denominator for demagogues,” the organisation added.
“It only goes to show that institutional Islamophobia is alive and well in the Conservative Party.”
The MCB called on Jenrick to “apologise, fully retract his comments, and speak to ordinary Muslims”.
'Too much damage'
Jenrick has since posted a video on X of masked Muslim men, not pro-Palestinian protesters, chanting “Allahu Akbar”.
“‘Allahu Akbar’ is spoken peacefully and spiritually by millions of British Muslims in their daily lives,” he said. “But the aggressive chanting below is intimidatory and threatening. And it’s an offence under Section 4 and 5 of the Public Order Act.”
Conservative peer Baroness Sayeeda Warsi responded by accusing Jenrick of pretending he had said that on Sky News. She said: “Not prepared to let you and other colleagues get away with this gaslighting and playing these games anymore - too much damage has already been done to our country and it deserves better than this populist nonsense.”
In the same Sky News interview on Wednesday, Jenrick accused the Labour government of not showing “equal treatment to all forms of violence”.
But violence has overwhelmingly come from far-right rioters in the past week.
Britain has experienced a week-long wave of racist and Islamophobic mob attacks in cities and towns across the country, including attacks on mosques and violent assaults on individuals.
In recent days, groups of Muslims have gathered to defend mosques and other places of worship from the far-right rioters.
On Monday, hundreds of Muslims gathered near a mosque in Birmingham after false rumours online of a far-right gathering there.
No Robert you do not get to go on national broadcasters and say one thing and try and pretend you said something else after!
— Sayeeda Warsi (@SayeedaWarsi) August 7, 2024
If you genuinely feel your comments on @SkyNews were inappropriate, offensive, incendiary and anti Muslim ( which they were) then start by apologising… https://t.co/5fkF6HdMU2
Some of those Muslims, who broke off from the main crowd, were filmed attacking a nearby pub named the Clumsy Swan.
The pub’s assistant manager told the Daily Mail: “The majority of people that were on the march last night stayed behind, supported us, they offered to pay for damages and everything.”
Far-right mobilisations are expected to continue.
Businesses in some places have boarded themselves up, as authorities brace for potential far-right attacks on Wednesday evening targeting immigration centres, refugee centres and lawyers’ homes.
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