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Mosque and school suspend imam after BBC Tory debate Mosque and school suspend imam after BBC Tory debate
(about 3 hours later)
An imam who asked a question on the BBC’s Conservative leadership debate has been suspended by his mosque and the school he works for after it emerged he had previously made “extremely disturbing” comments on social media. An imam and a solicitor who asked questions on the BBC’s Conservative leadership debate have both been suspended from their jobs after they were criticised over past comments on social media.
Al-Ashraf primary school in Gloucester said it was suspending the deputy headteacher, Abdullah Patel, who appeared on the BBC One programme on Tuesday night, until an investigation could be carried out. The school stressed it did not share the views attributed to him. The Masjid Umar mosque, also in Gloucester, said it had “chosen to give him some time away” while it investigated. Abdullah Patel, an imam and deputy head teacher, was suspended from the private Al-Ashraf primary school and the Masjid Umar mosque, both in Gloucester, on Wednesday, after it emerged he had made negative comments about Zionists and said women needed “to be smarter” to avoid being assaulted.
As it emerged another questioner on the programme worked for the Labour party, Conservative supporters of Boris Johnson rushed to criticise the BBC’s handling of the debate, with the issue overshadowing the third round of voting in the Tory leadership contest. Aman Thakar, an employment lawyer, was suspended by the City firm Leigh Day, in relation to a tweet in which he said Hitler’s worst legacy was “his abuse of the term nationalism”. His employers said they were investigating, despite Thakar stating it was a parody of a speech by a rightwing American activist.
In one of the most-talked-about moments in the debate, Patel questioned the five candidates about the impact of politicians’ words on Islamophobia in the UK – a nod to Johnson’s comments about women who wear the burqa resembling “letterboxes” and “bank robbers”. The controversy surrounding the members of the public who asked questions overshadowed the third round of voting in the Tory leadership contest, with supporters of Boris Johnson criticising the BBC’s handling of the debate. The often noisy and chaotic discussion was the first debate to feature Boris Johnson, who had refused to take part in Sunday night’s programme on Channel 4.
One of the leadership candidates, Sajid Javid, then prompted all his rivals to commit to commissioning an independent investigation into Islamophobia in the Conservative party should they win the contest. But it was the aftermath, involving scrutiny of the members of the public who asked the questions, which caused headaches for the BBC and left the corporation justifying the right of members of the public to ask questions on television regardless of their political backgrounds.
Patel later said he had asked the question because of “numerous reports of blatant racism against members of my community”, saying he “wanted the candidates to admit that they’ve played a role in peddling this hate and that things would change”. Some BBC News insiders questioned whether they owed a duty of care to warn members of the public who appear on political programmes that they are likely to have their social media and political backgrounds scrutinised by activists.
However, it later emerged Patel had previously tweeted: “Every political figure on the Zionist’s payroll is scaring the world about [Jeremy] Corbyn. They don’t like him. He seems best suited to tackle them!” Patel questioned the five candidates about the impact of politicians’ words on Islamophobia in the UK – a nod to Johnson’s comments about women who wear the burqa resembling “letterboxes” and “bank robbers”.
His question, which urged them, to accept that “words have consequences” prompted one of the candidates, Sajid Javid, to get all his rivals to commit to commissioning an independent investigation into Islamophobia in the Conservative party should they win the contest.
However, it subsequently emerged that Patel had previously tweeted: “Every political figure on the Zionist’s payroll is scaring the world about [Jeremy] Corbyn. They don’t like him. He seems best suited to tackle them!”
He also tweeted a map of the US, suggesting Israel should be moved from the Middle East to North America as a solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict.He also tweeted a map of the US, suggesting Israel should be moved from the Middle East to North America as a solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict.
In another tweet, Patel said women needed “to be smarter” to avoid being assaulted, saying: “Don’t be alone with a man!”In another tweet, Patel said women needed “to be smarter” to avoid being assaulted, saying: “Don’t be alone with a man!”
On Wednesday, Yakub Patel, the chair of Al-Madani Educational Trust, which runs Al-Ashraf primary school, said: “Following some of the comments attributed to Mr Patel in the media this morning, the trust has decided to suspend him from all school duties with immediate effect until a full investigation is carried out.” On Wednesday, Yakub Patel, the chair of Al-Madani Educational Trust, which runs Al-Ashraf primary school, said: “Following some of the comments attributed to Mr Patel in the media this morning, the trust has decided to suspend him from all school duties with immediate effect until a full investigation is carried out. The school and trust do not share the views attributed to him.”
Javid responded to the details of the imam’s historic tweets by saying he “should practise what he preaches”. His mosque said it had “chosen to give him some time away” while it investigated.
There was further embarrassment for the BBC after it emerged another questioner had worked for Labour. Aman Thakar stood as a council candidate for the party last year and was also involved in the running of Labour’s investigation into antisemitism. Javid responded to the details of the imam’s historical tweets by saying he “should practise what he preaches. Words do indeed have consequences.”
On the programme, Thakar said whoever became prime minister by virtue of winning the Conservative leadership election would have “no mandate” from the general public, asking the candidates: “When will you do the right thing and call a general election?” Thakar initially came under scrutiny for having stood as a Labour council candidate and briefly worked for the party. He had said on the programme that whichever candidate would have “no mandate” from the general public, and asked them: “When will you do the right thing and call a general election?”
A BBC statement said Patel seemed to have deactivated and then reactivated his Twitter account, and if the corporation had known of the views he had expressed, he would not have been invited on to the programme. The BBC said it had known Thakar had done some work for Labour before putting him on the programme. But more controversy ensued when it emerged that he had tweeted: “Hitler’s abuse of the term nationalism is, to me a nationalist, the most harmful part of his legacy.”
“We carried out background research into the online and social media profiles of all our questioners for last night’s debate. After the debate, one individual reactivated a public Twitter account he had previously deactivated, whose tweets were not visible during our research period. Had we been aware of the views he expressed there, he would not have been selected,” a spokesperson said. Thakar apologised for any offence caused but said he was making a sarcastic comment about a speech made by Candace Owens, a conservative US activist, in which she said: “Whenever we say ‘nationalism’, the first thing people think about, at least in America, is Hitler. You know, he was a national socialist, but if Hitler just wanted to make Germany great and have things run well, OK, fine.”
The corporation confirmed it had known Thakar worked for Labour before putting him on the programme. Speaking about Patel, a BBC spokesperson said: “We carried out background research into the online and social media profiles of all our questioners for last night’s debate. After the debate, one individual reactivated a public Twitter account he had previously deactivated, whose tweets were not visible during our research period. Had we been aware of the views he expressed there, he would not have been selected.”
The BBC Radio 5 Live presenter Nicky Campbell apologised for having Patel on his programme on Wednesday morning. “His social media comments have been extremely disturbing. We should have checked. We didn’t. I’m sorry,” he said.The BBC Radio 5 Live presenter Nicky Campbell apologised for having Patel on his programme on Wednesday morning. “His social media comments have been extremely disturbing. We should have checked. We didn’t. I’m sorry,” he said.
Patel, who had asked the leadership candidates to acknowledge that “words have consequences”, told BBC Gloucester he did not remember all of his tweets, adding: “I have not criticised the Jewish community … criticism of Israel is not the same as criticism of Jews.”​ Patel told BBC Gloucester he did not remember all of his tweets, adding: “I have not criticised the Jewish community … criticism of Israel is not the same as criticism of Jews.”​
The often noisy and chaotic BBC debate was the first to feature Johnson, who had refused to take part in a programme on Channel 4 on Sunday. Rather than have a studio audience, people from across the UK appeared on a large screen to question the candidates from a regional studio. With five candidates attempting to debate against each other and no moderating influence from an audience, they often ended up speaking over each other.
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