Shahid Butt, who was previously jailed in Yemen for conspiring to bomb the British consulate, caused controversy after announcing he was running in the upcoming elections in Sparkhill, Birmingham
A convicted terrorist running to become a local councillor accepted Sharon Osbourne’s challenge to stand against him saying: “She’s welcome to, but she won’t beat me.”
Shahid Butt, who was previously jailed in Yemen for conspiring to bomb the British consulate, caused controversy after announcing he was running in the upcoming elections in Sparkhill, Birmingham, with Sharon later vowing to run against him.
Following the backlash Mr Butt has now spoken out, admitting he has a “dodgy past”, but believes he is still a fit to run for office in his boyhood city despite being a former jihadist.
The 60-year-old even said he “agreed with the Far Right” on certain issues and some of Nigel Farage’s Reform policies.
And after Sharon recently suggested she was “seriously” considering running against him, he said she is welcome to as she would bring some “glamour” to the May elections.
The 73-year-old former X-Factor judge, who lost husband and proud Brummie Ozzy last summer, said on Instagram: “This had nothing to do with racism.
“I think I’m gonna move to Birmingham and put my name down for the ballot to be on the council.”
After the comment racked up nearly 3,000 likes, she later added: “I’m serious.”
In response, Mr Butt said: “My message to Sharon is: she’s more than welcome to come and stand in the local elections.
“She won’t beat me, but she’s more than welcome to stand.
“It would add some glamour and glitter and razzmatazz.
“This is the benefit of living in a democracy.”
Asked if he was a fan of Ozzy Osbourne’s music, Mr Butt added: “That’s not really my kind of music.
“It’s a bit hard on the eardrums, that kind of music. I’m into deep house.
“But I used to watch Sharon on Britain’s Got Talent.”
Mr Butt is standing as an independent candidate in the upcoming local elections in the spring, when he will fight to win a seat on the inner-city Sparkhill ward, where 70% of the population is Muslim.
He was convicted along with five other British nationals of being involved in a plot to blow up buildings including the British consulate, an Anglican church and a hotel in the Yemeni city of Aden, on the country’s southern coast, in 1999.
However, Mr Butt says he was tortured with cattle prods, locked in pitch black cells with no food and water for days and forced into confessing to his alleged crimes in what he describes as a ‘miscarriage of justice’.
Following his release from prison in 2003, Mr Butt returned to the UK and claims to have devoted his life to helping young people in the country steer clear of terrorism.
He has worked with the Home Office’s Prevent scheme, but has also frequently prompted backlash with his comments on violence and religious division.
Mr Butt backed the ban of Israeli fans from Maccabi Tel Aviv’s away Europa League match against Aston Villa last November, saying in a video that Muslims “are not pacifists” and said “if somebody comes into your face, you knock his teeth out”.
He also attracted criticism for saying that the Koran tells Muslims “not [to] take the Jews or Christians as your friends and protectors”, but insists his words are often taken out of context.
However, despite his historical opposition to the Far Right, Mr Butt added that he ironically finds himself agreeing with Nigel Farage’s Reform party on issues such as immigration.
He said: “It sounds a bit controversial when I say I agree with the Far Right – but some of Reform’s policies are sensible.
“I do believe we need controlled immigration.
“I definitely don’t think we should have people coming over who are not documented, as this is going to cause a lot of problems.
“I’m a conservative Muslim. I believe in traditional values and morals, so, in that sense, there might be some similarities [with Reform].”