Thread by @miqdaad

Many Muslims raised serious concerns with the way @Emmabarnett framed Taj Hargey as a saviour of British Muslims on @bbc5live

This is because his assumptions are wrong, his ideas sometimes echo narratives of the far-right & he says things that are just plainly untrue

Thread.

@Emmabarnett @bbc5live For example, he propagates the far-right idea that Muslims might take over unless action is taken - and that there might be an "Islamic Republic of Britain".

thetimes.co.uk/article/taj-ha…

@Emmabarnett @bbc5live For example, he considers Pizza Express admitting its chicken is halal, is "covert religious extremism and creeping Islamic fundamentalism making its way into Britain by the back door."

Just because he does believe meat needs to be Halal, shouldn't result in such statements

@Emmabarnett @bbc5live For example, he propagates the far-right idea that Muslims don't condemn terrorists.

Perhaps he needs to meet Heraa Hashmi who put together a "712-page Google doc that proves Muslims do condemn terrorism" (theguardian.com/world/shortcut…)

dailymail.co.uk/debate/article…

@Emmabarnett @bbc5live His dangerous scaremongering includes the outrageous and false claim that: "Wahabbism is now the most powerful force in *most* British mosques, faith schools, Muslim organisations and pressure groups like the Muslim Council of Britain"

dailymail.co.uk/debate/article…

@Emmabarnett @bbc5live You may recall Boris Johnson's dehumanising comments comparing Muslim women wearing burqas to "letterboxes" and "bank robbers", which had real-life consequences for many British Muslim women

Hargey's position: Johnson "did not go far enough".

thetimes.co.uk/edition/commen…

@Emmabarnett @bbc5live He even uses the term "fifth column" as he claims that Wahabbis and Saudis "are going to bring other forms of Sharia down the pike"!

thetimes.co.uk/article/taj-ha…

@Emmabarnett @bbc5live And he even uses a Hitler-analogy to explain how an Islamic Republic of Britain might become a reality.

thetimes.co.uk/article/taj-ha…

@Emmabarnett @bbc5live And when asked "Do we need to have more monitoring of what is going on in mosques?", his view is:

"Absolutely, without a shadow of a doubt. But we need to make sure our mosques don’t become a hotbed for MI5 and MI6 infiltration..."

@Emmabarnett @bbc5live He even blamed mosques for 7/7:

'It is the extremist ideology present in many UK mosques which is the cement behind nihilistic plots such as this,' he says. 'They are twisting Islam.'

dailymail.co.uk/debate/article…

@Emmabarnett @bbc5live Hargey's assumptions about Muslim communities being led from abroad, and his views and solutions - as expressed in his own words - are hugely problematic. They appear to be a tabloid-esque superficial reading of communities with views tailored to appeal to a certain crowd.

@Emmabarnett @bbc5live He has a right to his views, but what's so problematic is how media outlets frame him as a "leading Imam" when that's not a justifiable description

E.g. see front page of The Times

(Other outlets using similar terms:
thesun.co.uk/news/6975160/l… &
standard.co.uk/news/politics/…)

@Emmabarnett @bbc5live The above is sufficient to explain why I believe @Emmabarnett should have challenged him robustly yesterday on @bbc5live rather than seeing him as a hero worthy of support.

@Emmabarnett @bbc5live I was on today with Emma, to discuss this topic, and to give an alternative perspective. Grateful for this.

This was necessary but I believe insufficient given the importance of challenging controversial claims on-the-spot, & the inability to tackle the numerous false statements