• The Tory Leader hopeful expected to see arrests against Muslims shouting ‘God is great’ while they stood with anti-fascism demonstrators.
• Muslim MPs called out his Islamophobic remarkduring a Sky News interview and were critical of the interviewer’s failure to challenge him on the spot.
Conservative MP for Newark, Robert Jenrick sparked controversy by stating that protesters who chant “Allahu Akbar” should be immediately arrested, drawing widespread criticism for his remarks.
“I thought it was quite wrong that somebody could shout Allahu Akbar on the streets of London and not be immediately arrested”.
Jenrick’s stance is not only callous but also dangerously out of touch with the realities of religious expression in the UK, especially as having expressed in the past his connections to Jewish relatives who suffered through the holocaust. He should be fully aware of the sensitivities a community would feel if an aspect of their faith is targeted.
The phrase, meaning “God is great,” is a common expression in Islamand used by billions in prayer; at the birth of one’s child; in peaceful contexts; and in times of joy; pride; and virtue, through to times of grief; difficulty and sorrow.
What is also equally frustrating is the blatant and regular downplaying of Islamophobic remarks by mainstream media outlets, and in this case by Sky News. Jenrick’s remark was ignored and not even addressedlive.
This interview was not a verbal jousting match, it was there to convey the opinion of a Tory MP using softball questions. They both had time to think and to correct the comment if it was in error or to probe further. Neither of these occurred.
Independent MP Zarah Sultana said of Jenrick’s interview with Sky News:
“When we say Islamophobia and racism is normalised and goes unchallenged, this is literally what we’re talking about”.
Social media Follow up
Following the interview, Jenrick put out an update, showing that he meant what he had said by reaffirming his position and claiming that calling out “Allahu Akbar” would be an offence under Section 4 and 5 of the Public Order Act.
Former Chairwoman of the Conservative Party Baroness Warsi sent her response to Jenrick following his attempts to clarify his comments.
“No Robert, you do not get to…try and pretend you said something else after! If you genuinely feel your comments on Sky News were inappropriate, offensive, incendiary and anti-Muslim (which they were) then start by apologising...Not prepared to let you and other colleagues get away with this gaslighting and playing these games anymore...”
Sky News also followed up with its own post after their interview with Jenrick confirming that the Tory MP was indeed clear on what he stated and the spokesperson on his behalf went further to say that ‘Jewish communities were finding the term deeply threatening.’
Questionable History
Many people will be concerned by the level of immorality in what Jenrick has said over the past few days. Unfortunately, this cannot be classed as a one-off situation as he carries a very chequered history to the point where he has such a chequered history in being unable to keep to the rules and falling foul of public and legal scrutiny.
Jenrick is a member of the Conservative Friends of Israel, and in June 2019 represented the Conservative government at the Israel-Palestine peace initiative, led by Jared Kushner.
He was appointed Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government that same year while making the following statements.
"I want tackling antisemitism and ensuring that the Jewish community feels protected and respected to be one of my priorities as Secretary of State."
"I will use my position as Secretary of State to write to all universities and local authorities to insist that they adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of antisemitism at the earliest opportunity... and use it when considering matters such as disciplinary procedures.”
In June 2020, Jenrick was linked to an Israeli businessman and Conservative donor, Idan Ofer, over a multibillion-pound project thatJenrick, then Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury had overseen. Ofer stated that a £10,000 ‘donation’ via his business was made at the behest of Conservative Friends of Israel.
At around the same time in 2020, Jenrick faced High Court action brought by the London Parks & Gardens Trust over his handling of the Holocaust memorial planning application and the decision to allow his junior colleague to determine the outcome of the application.
Months later, family members of Grenfell refused a meeting with Jenrick due to the slow progress of enforcing the findings of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry. They proceeded to openly criticise him for favouring rich tycoons and property developers over the pain and anguish of families and an impoverished community looking for answers and support.
Over the past year, Jenrick has been involved in controversiessurrounding his handling of immigration policies as Minister for Immigration, particularly regarding the treatment of asylum seekers.
Jenrick was also banned from driving for a second speeding offence in April 2023, where he could have ended up with a custodial sentence.
Jenrick Criticized
Critics, including Muslim politicians and community groups, condemned his comments as “Islamophobic” and “divisive,” arguing that such rhetoric only fuels community tensions.
The Muslim Council of Britain, which represents many different Muslim organisations across the UK, and which was labelled as an extremist organisation by the last Conservative government has said the comment shows “institutional Islamophobia is alive and well” in the Tory party.
Naz Shah, a Labour MP and vice chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims, responsible for the 2017 inquiry into defining Islamophobia, has now harshly criticised Jenrick.
"This is complete ignorance and textbook Islamophobia from Robert Jenrick. It literally equates every Muslim in the world with extremism…Imagine in this climate, either being that ignorant or deliberately trying to stigmatise all Muslims…He should apologise and speak to Muslim communities and learn more about our faith."
Yasmin Qureshi, the Labour MP for Bolton South and Walkden, said on social media the comments were “the kind of religious illiteracy and Islamophobia we’ve come to expect” from Mr Jenrick and “others who have spent years stoking up racial hatred”. She also said such rhetoric was partly to blame for the riots.
Mayor Sadiq Khan has also spoken out against Jenrick saying:
“His remarks are so offensive, so hurtful, so dangerous. It’s akin to somebody saying we should outlaw the word hallelujah. Just think about the ridiculousness of saying that…and apologise.”
Tory Islamophobia is Rife
Unfortunately, he was not the only Tory to put out Islamophobic comments and posts during a very emotionally and politically charged week.
Susan Scott, a Tory councillor for Stockton, has resigned following a Facebook comment she made about Muslims, which she posted on the Stockton Politics Facebook page. She declared:
“It is my opinion that the aspiration of the majority of Muslims is to make the whole world Muslim, and they will do whatever it takes to achieve that goal and if we are not okay with that, we ignore this threat at our peril.”
Cllr Scott’s comments will only further gaslight fascists in a region currently suffering from riots, leading to a higher possibility that Muslims in Cllr Scott’s ward will be affected.
Stockton LibDems issued a statement, saying that Cllr Scott’s commentshave not helped the situation when there are already deliberate attempts to stoke Islamophobia. They went on to say:
“In Hartlepool, the Nasir Mosque was targeted during a far-right protest, causing fear and unrest among the local Muslim community. Similarly, Middlesbrough has witnessed a rise in racial tensions, leaving many Muslims scared to leave their homes…In light of the recent riots and attacks on mosques, it is especially irresponsible for Councillor Scott to be making such harmful statements.”
With the riots continuing and the risk of more happening over the weekend, the gaslighting by Jenrick and other Zionist / Islamophobic entities does little to quell tensions.
However, we must not lose focus on what is currently happening globally. Our goal should be to redirect whatever attention the mainstream media puts on our discomfort, towards our brothers and sisters suffering an unfathomable genocide.
