Tory leadership contender Robert Jenrick has been accused of “textbook Islamophobia” after telling Sky News people shouting Allahu Akbar should be “immediately arrested”.
The former immigration minister said he had been “very critical of the police in the past”, particularly around the policing of protests against the war in Gaza, which started after Hamas attacked Israel on 7 October last year.
He told Sky News: “You know, I thought it was quite wrong that somebody could shout Allahu Akbar on the streets of London and not be immediately arrested, or project genocidal chants on to Big Ben and that person not be immediately arrested.
“That attitude is wrong.”
Mr Jenrick praised the police for their efforts over the past week, in which rioters across the country have injured officers.
Speaking in parliament in February, Mr Jenrick said: “We’ve allowed our streets to be dominated by Islamist extremists”.
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Asked about using that phrase, he said: “Well, I think I was absolutely right. And, you know, there were instances back then where we saw Islamist extremists on our streets.
“I’ve just given you one example where you literally had somebody chanting or shouting ‘Allahu Akbar’ off Oxford Street.
“We saw people commending the Houthis for firing missiles at British flagged vessels, you know, in the seas.
“You know, that is completely wrong. That is anti-British. And we should be calling it out.”
Labour MP Naz Shah, vice-chair of a cross-party group on British Muslims, called Mr Jenrick’s Allahu Akbar comments “complete ignorance and textbook Islamophobia”.
“It literally equates every Muslim in the world with extremism,” she said and explained the phrase means “God is Great” and is said by “every Muslim in the world” during prayer.
“Imagine in this climate, either being that ignorant or deliberately trying to stigmatise all Muslims,” she said.
“He should apologise and speak to Muslim communities and learn more about our faith.”
The Muslim Council of Britain also condemned his comments, saying they were “shocked” and called it “Islamophobic rhetoric, the lowest common denominator for demagogues”.
“It only goes to show that institutional Islamophobia is alive and well in the Conservative Party,” a spokeswoman said.
“As a prospective leader, Mr Jenrick should be showing leadership, reassuring our communities when fear is palpable.
“He should apologise, fully retract his comments, and speak to ordinary Muslims to understand why his remarks are so outrageous.”
The spokeswoman accused Mr Jenrick of emboldening the “far-right thugs” and said he should be focusing on ways to bring communities together instead.
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Following the accusations of Islamophobia, Mr Jenrick posted a video on X of a march through Bolton with people chanting “Allahu Akbar”.
He said: “‘Allahu Akbar’ is spoken peacefully and spiritually by millions of British Muslims in their daily lives. But the aggressive chanting below is intimidatory and threatening.
“And it’s an offence under Section 4 and 5 of the Public Order Act. Extremists routinely abuse common expressions for their own shameful ends.
“All violence must end. All violence must be called out.”
Former Tory Foreign Office minister Lord Ahmad called on Mr Jenrick to apologise.
“Your comments on Sy News at a time when communal tensions are high, fuel Islamophobia,” he wrote on X.
“Don’t try and ‘qualify’ your comments – just apologise!”
Baroness Warsi, a former Tory cabinet minister, addressed Mr Jenrick directly on X, saying: “No Robert, you do not get to go on national broadcasters and say one thing and try and pretend you said something else after!
“If you genuinely feel you comments on Sky News were inappropriate, offensive, incendiary and anti Muslim (which they were) then start by apologising.
“Then you can go back to pretending you a responsible candidate for the leadership of our party.”
A source close to Mr Jenrick said: “The intimidatory shouts of this term by hate marchers in the aftermath of 7 October clearly met the statutory definition of section 4 or 5 of the Public Order Act 1986.
“Those saying that the police should not enforce public order laws should reflect on what that would mean.
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“Nothing about criticising these shouts is a comment on the direct translation of the term or how it is ordinarily expressed.
“But Jewish communities – amongst others – found public marches featuring aggressive chants of this term as well as antisemitic chants, all of which were used by Hamas terrorists on 7 October, to be deeply threatening.”
