‘Pure Islamophobia’: Farage Condemned for Anti-Muslim Remarks

IQNA – Nigel Farage, the honorary president of Reform UK, has been condemned for his anti-Muslim remarks on Sky News.

During the program "Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips," Farage stated, "We have a growing number of young people in this country who do not subscribe to British values. In fact, loathe much of what we stand for. I think we see them on the streets of London every Saturday."

When questioned by Phillips if his remarks were directed at Muslims, Farage confirmed, "We are. And I'm afraid I found some of the recent surveys saying that 46% of British Muslims support Hamas."

He referenced a poll conducted by the Henry Jackson Society in April.

Phillips countered Farage's sweeping statement, questioning its accuracy and the potential offense it could cause to British Muslims.

“We don’t have this survey in front of us but are you sure you want to make the blanket accusation that you have just made that Muslims are somehow less patriotic? Would you like to revisit this statement? … Can you imagine how offensive that is to British Muslims?" Phillips asked.  

Councillor Jamal Chohan responded to Farage's appearance on social media, labeling it as "pure Islamophobia" and criticizing Sky News for providing Farage a platform.

“This is pure Islamophobia and it is outrageous that Sky News continue to give Nigel Farage any platform to spread it – a man that has lost ALL SEVEN attempts at being a member of parliament. He misled the public on Brexit, and now he is misleading the public again by quoting a survey conducted by the Henry Jackson Society,” Chohan wrote on X.

The discussion comes against the backdrop of a surge in anti-Muslim hate incidents in the UK, as reported by Tell MAMA, an organization tracking anti-Muslim hate.

Their report indicates a record number of 2,010 hate incidents from October 7, 2023, to February 7, 2024, marking a 335-percent increase from the previous year.

The incidents, both online and offline, predominantly affected London, with women constituting 65 percent of the victims.

The rise in incidents coincides with the ongoing Israeli war on Gaza. Large number of people, both Muslims and non-Muslims take to the streets of London every week to slam the Israeli aggression, demanding for an immediate ceasefire and end to the UK’s support for the Israeli regime.

Source: Agencies