GMB star Adil Ray slams Tory MP accused of sharing an ‘Islamophobic fantasy’
Good Morning Britain star Adil Ray has slammed a Tory MP accused of sharing an “Islamophobic myth”.
Broadcaster Adil Ray stated remarks by ex minister Paul Scully have been ‘racism’ after the politician stated there have been “no-go areas” in London and Birmingham. Mr Scully aimed the jibe at capital’s Tower Hamlets and Sparkhill within the Midlands – each areas recognized for having giant ethnic minorities.
The feedback enraged the Citizen Khan star – coming after former Tory Deputy Chairman Lee Anderson made explosive assault on London’s Mayor Sadiq Khan.
On Twitter, Mr Ray, 49, stated: “Sparkhill is home to many communities and cultures, perhaps it’s your own prejudice that keeps you away. This is racism. Call it out. Enough.”
Earlier former minister Paul Scully made his controversial remarks discussing Islamophobia. He informed BBC Radio London: “The point I’m trying to make is if you look at parts of Tower Hamlets, for example, where there are no-go areas or parts of Birmingham Sparkhill, there are no-go areas mainly because of doctrine and mainly because people are sort of abusing in many ways their religion, you know.”
The Sutton and Cheam MP added: “Because it’s not the doctrine of Islam to espouse some of what some of these people are saying. So I think this is the concern that needs to be addressed.”
Ali Milani, chairman of the Labour Muslim Network, responded: “This is an Islamophobic myth that has been continuously perpetuated. There are no Muslim no-go areas in this country… this is not true, it’s Islamophobic.”
Labour MP Jess Phillips, whose Birmingham Yardley constituency consists of Sparkhill, responded: “As one of the MPs for Sparkhill I am expecting an apology for this utter drivel.
“My youngsters hand around in Sparkhill day and night time, by no means had a moments fear, I am going there weekly and dwell actually 5 minutes stroll from there and used to dwell there myself.”
And Councillor Nicky Brennan, who represents Sparkhill on Birmingham City Council, posted on Twitter: “There is not any place in Sparkhill that has made me really feel unsafe. Quite the other the truth is. It’s a vibrant, welcoming neighborhood in Birmingham. These feedback are disgusting.”
Earlier in the discussion Mr Scully had said: “Over the years you have received folks involved about their neighbourhoods altering, in components of the north specifically, I feel they’re making an attempt to mirror that in a very clumsy means.
“We’ve got to have a sensible use of language so we can have a constructive adult debate about this.”
According to the 2021 census, simply over 78 per cent of the inhabitants of Sparkill are Asian or Asian British, whereas 5.2 per cent are Black and seven.9 per cent are white. In Tower Hamlets 44.4 per cent are from an Asian background, whereas 39.4 per cent are white and seven.3 per cent Black.
It comes as Rishi Sunak faces stress to open an investigation into “structural Islamophobia” within the Conservative Party. In a letter to the Tory chairman Richard Holden, the Muslim Council of Britain stated it welcomed the choice to droop Lee Anderson after he claimed London Mayor Sadiq Khan is managed by Islamists.
But Secretary General Zara Mohammed stated: “Our view is that the Islamophobia in the (Conservative) Party is institutional, tolerated by the leadership and seen as acceptable by great swathes of the party membership.” She stated anti-Muslim sentiment within the get together was “on display this week”.
