- Patrick Christys’s repost of WayofLifeSQ’s video about the dangers of Muslims celebrating Christmas has sparked widespread online Islamophobic abuse.
- The far right are demanding that Muslims celebrate Christmas in order to “assimilate.” This article takes a closer look at the Equality Act 2010.
GB News presenter Patrick Christys has taken issue with a recent viral video released by our brother, WayofLifeSQ, in which he explains why Muslims should not celebrate Christmas. His response was curt, “so much to unpack here.”
What followed was a torrent of anti Muslim, Islamophobic and derogatory remarks from Christys’s followers on X. However, the open hostility was not only directed at Brother SQ alone but at his two young children who appear alongside him in the video.
One is left asking what truly lies beneath this reaction: Muslims articulating their faith unapologetically?
WayofLifeSQ has built a substantial global following on YouTube, with over 2 million subscribers. He is a YouTuber and a da’ee (caller to Islam).
Christys reposted WayofLifeSQ’s video on his personal X handle. Christys is a well known Islamophobe who is employed by GB News.
On Thursday, 12th December 2024, the Centre for Media Monitoring (CfMM) launched its groundbreaking report, ‘GB News: A Snapshot of Anti-Muslim Hate’, at the Frontline Club in London. This two-year analysis reveals a disturbing pattern of bias, misinformation, and the perpetuation of far-right tropes by GB News in its portrayal of Muslims and Islam.
• Over the course of two years, GB News referenced Muslims or Islam more than 17,000 times, making up 50% of all mentions across UK news channels.
• 62% of the coverage on summer riots grossly misrepresented Muslims as perpetrators, while downplaying the attacks on mosques and Muslim communities.
• GB News mentioned Islamophobia 1,180 times, accounting for 60% of all references compared to BBC News and Sky News, primarily to dismiss or downplay its existence.
• GB News consistently cast suspicion on Muslims in public spaces, amplifying far-right conspiracy theories such as the ‘Great Replacement’ and assertions of a Muslim ‘takeover.’
Let’s talk about Assimilation
We frequently encounter Islamophobes vehemently suggesting that we Muslims must either ‘assimilate’ or ‘F off back to wherever we came from!’ But does assimilation require altering who you are at your core and changing your beliefs?
In 2023, the far-right Islamophobe and hate preacher, British ‘journalist’ David Atherton, responded to a post from a Muslim online who was discussing the religious prohibition of celebrating Christmas. Atherton responded on X, ‘An instant deportation for me.’
Notably, compelling a religion onto others appears incompatible with the core tenets of British values and British law. Here’s why: Under the Equality Act 2010, religion is one of the 9 protected characteristics.
The Equality Act 2010 says you must not be discriminated against because: • You are (or are not) of a particular religion • You hold (or do not hold) a particular philosophical belief • Someone thinks you are of a particular religion or hold a particular belief (this is known as discrimination by perception) • You are connected to someone who has a religion or belief (this is known as discrimination by association)
This year, Atherton advanced his claim by asserting that disagreement with Christian doctrine amounts to contempt.
There is no compulsion in Islam
One of the most beautiful aspects of Islam is that it is never imposed upon others. We invite, but we are prohibited to coerce; nor do we become outraged or resort (for instance) to insults toward expats in places like Dubai or Qatar simply because they do not celebrate what we do. As Allah says in the Qur’an,
“For you is your religion, and for me is mine.”
(Qur’an 109:6)
“There is no compulsion in religion”
(2:256)
