John Cleese has insisted he is not “Islamophobic” after coming under fire over comments he has made about Islam and Muslims. The comedian, 86, has criticised aspects of Islam and multiculturalism on social media, claiming the Qur'an is “all about killing infidels” as well as questioning Islamic teachings and the influence of Islamic beliefs in Britain. He has also claimed Muslim beliefs are “attacking British values” and said London is “not an English city anymore”.
Backlash from Muslim outlet
The Monty Python star faced backlash this week from 5Pillars, an outlet covering news relating to British Muslims, with editor Roshan Muhammad Salih arguing that there is a difference between challenging a religious doctrine and making general claims about Islam and Muslims.
In response, Cleese has now said he is “Islamosceptic”, saying scepticism towards a religion should not be confused with hostility towards the people who follow it.
Cleese's defence on social media
“I am Islamosceptic, not Islamophobic,” the Fawlty Towers star wrote on X on Tuesday. Cleese went on: “Unfortunately, some Muslims cannot tolerate any form of criticism, even from someone who has made many jokes about Christianity. Nobody ever called me Christophobic after Life of Brian!”
5Pillars highlighted Cleese’s upcoming appearances in cities with large Muslim populations during his 18-date UK tour in September, including Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds.
Previous statements and endorsements
Cleese defended his views again in February, writing on X: "I'll say again... Criticism of Islam is not racist, it's culturalist. For example, disapproving of Female Genital Mutilation is not racist. Criticism of Islam is Islamosceptic. There is no phobia involved in criticising a religion. That's for spiders. Life of Brian is not Christophobic. The Pythons did not have a phobia about Christianity. We were sceptical about some of its adherents. Trying to win arguments by changing the meaning of words is a cheap debating trick."
A month later, he posted: “The UK has always been based at the deepest level on Christian values, regardless of dogma. Despite the many mistakes made by churches, for centuries, British people have been influenced by Christ’s teaching. If these values are replaced by Islamic ones, this will not be Britain any more.” He also penned: “The British cultural heritage is based on Christ's teaching And Christ's teaching is NOT about acquiring power. Read the Beatitudes! The Koran's teaching is ALL about acquiring power, killing 'infidels' and imposing Islam on everyone. That why the British tradition is vastly superior, and more respectful of human dignity.”
He has described himself as a “culturalist” and said he prefers cultures that he believes uphold Western values. Cleese has also become increasingly vocal on social media in his endorsement of the far-right political party Restore Britain and its leader, MP Rupert Lowe. He wrote last month: “I trust [Lowe] more than any of the other leaders.”
Cleese told The Telegraph in 2014 that he was “all for immigration” but expressed concern about “people who come here who really don’t like our culture”. In 2018, the actor said he was relocating to the Caribbean, claiming London was “no longer an English city”. This prompted Mayor of London, Sir Sadiq Khan, to say Cleese sounded “like he’s in character as Basil Fawlty”. Cleese went on to dismiss Sir Sadiq as a “silly little man”, adding: “Traditional British values are under attack from Muslim belief systems.” In 2023, he came under fire for mocking Australian TV host Waleed Aly’s Arabic name, asking: “Is that an anagram?”
