North Yorkshire Council has defended inviting a speaker who reportedly told staff the Virgin Mary “wore a hijab” during a presentation at last year’s York and North Yorkshire Hate Crime Conference. The claim was allegedly made during a Project Unity presentation, a programme designed to address concerns that Muslim beliefs are incompatible with British values.
Council responds to backlash
Odette Robson, the local authority’s head of community safety and CCTV, told The York Press: “We invited a guest speaker to deliver a presentation as part of the York and North Yorkshire Hate Crime Conference, a joint initiative alongside partners at City of York Council and North Yorkshire Police. As a public authority, we believe it is important that staff understand the experiences and perspectives of the diverse communities they serve.
“Public services are most effective when they are informed by a broad range of voices and experiences. Hearing perspectives that may challenge existing assumptions can help deepen understanding of issues such as race, faith, identity, integration and community relations.”
Presentation details and criticism
Ms Robson also argued the presentation was not training and that Abbas Najib, a former police officer and chief executive of Better Communities Bradford — the charity behind Project Unity — was not paid. The presentation also told attendees that “Jesus grew a beard”, drawing a comparison between Christianity and Islamic guidance for Muslim men, according to The Telegraph.
Another slide reportedly claimed that “the hijab was prevalent in the UK only 100 years ago”, with images of shawls worn in early 20th-century Britain used to illustrate the point. The garments pictured were not connected to Islam.
Independent councillor Michelle Donohue-Moncrieff said she was “deeply disturbed that taxpayers' money was used to fund political propaganda being fed to council staff members”. She described the presentation’s reported claims about Mary wearing a hijab as “inaccurate and unacceptable”, reports The York Press.
Historical context and response
Mary lived roughly six centuries before the emergence of Islam, although as a Jewish woman in first-century Judea she may have worn a head covering. Later Christian artwork frequently depicts the Virgin Mary wearing a veil or shawl.
Mr Najib defended his work earlier this week, saying: “Project Unity exists to reduce anti-Muslim hostility and strengthen trust between communities. We work with as wide a range of groups and organisations as possible, from councils and police to colleges, charities and community groups, to help them understand how prejudice takes hold and how public language can feed it.”
