British minister pays tribute to radical Islamist cleric
The Labour government's faith affairs minister sparks outrage by kissing the ring of an imam linked to radical ideologies.
Frame from the video published by the imam.
YouTube
[social-share align=»right» style=»button» mobile_app=»desktop»]
[social-share align=»center» style=»icon» mobile_app=»mobile»]
A video published on 22 February 2025 has raised alarm bells in the United Kingdom. In it, the new Minister of Faith of the British Labour government, Lord Wajid Khan, appears kissing Maulana Tariq Jamil's ring, a Pakistani fundamentalist cleric known for his extremist, misogynistic and anti-Western stances. The gesture took place during the preacher's visit to the city of Burnley, in the north of England, within Khan's own constituency.
Kissing the ring is a display of submission and reverence in certain Islamic traditions. This gesture symbolises the acceptance of the religious leader's spiritual authority and implies recognising him as a guide and point of reference. In the British context, however, Lord Wajid Khan's gesture has been seen as a connivance with a controversial figure that promotes values contrary to democratic and equality principles
The video's broadcast on Maulana Tariq Jamil's YouTube channel—with more than eight million subscribers— It multiplied its reach and unleashed a wave of criticism, both on social media and in the political sphere..
A controversial character
Jamil has been accused of justifying terrorism, disparaging women's rights and criticising modern science. In a public intervention in 2020, he even blamed women “dressed too lightly” for causing the COVID-19 pandemic. More recently, at a conference in London in 2024, he urged Muslim women to not to work outside the home and to focus solely on raising children. He has also questioned the value of science, asserting that only through the prophets can one access true knowledge.
The debate goes beyond the symbolic gesture. Critics question whether Can a representative of a plural and secular government show reverence to a figure who rejects those very values?. The Labour Party, which has historically championed coexistence and diversity, now finds itself obliged to respond for an action that many interpret as a Cession in the face of fundamentalist ideologies.
For many analysts, this incident is a warning sign about the relationship between politics and fundamentalist religion in a country that prides itself on pluralism and civil liberties. “It is an image that does not inspire confidence in the government's ability to defend democratic values,” states a recent editorial.
More Perceptions of
.
ERC, PSC and Comuns oppose combating political Islam in the European Parliament.
Azerbaijan expels students who wear Islamic headscarves from school
Sharia law in the US is supported by 75% of Muslims, 41% of atheists and up to 20% of Christians.
France now has a halal meat supply without the need to sacrifice animals facing Mecca.
The United Kingdom gives away a thousand hijabs in six months to immigrants arriving via the Channel
US Muslim politicians train Canadian Muslims under the slogan "From the mosque to the city hall"«
Teacher fired in Austria for denying a Muslim woman a prayer room
Canadian government normalizes Islamic prayer during workday
Lleida bans the burqa except if worn for religious reasons
Italy bans burqa and niqab but only in schools
The Generalitat pays tribute to the racist Abu Bakr al-Turtuxí as an anti-racist icon
A student residence in Scotland imposes Islamic law in common areas
Kazakhstan threatens to close private schools that allow hijab
A Catholic university in Belgium incorporates Islamic chants into the opening mass of the course
A Muslim family in Granada chooses a Catholic school and demands that the courts teach Islam there
Phrase of the Week
Image of the Week
-Don't you have cousins?