Sadiq Khan has faced criticism for suggesting that Mecca is "probably the most diverse place in the world" despite the city not admitting non-Muslims. The Mayor of London made the claim in an interview with a national newspaper, in which he made the observation about the Islamic Holy City in Saudi Arabia.
Sir Sadiq, who completed the Hajj pilgrimage in May this year, described it as "profoundly life-changing". His claim has been blasted by Conservative Shadow Justice Secretary Nick Timothy MP, who wrote there was "not even a pretence of honesty or consistency" in the claim.
Response from Nick Timothy
Mr Timothy, writing online in response to the interview in the Daily Telegraph, said: "That's Mecca, where Muslims of many races gather, but non-Muslims are banned."
Saudi law bans non-Muslims from entering the city for any reason, and breaches can be punished by anything from fines to imprisonment. The Conservative Shadow Justice Secretary has come to blows with Sir Sadiq before, after he criticised the public praying of an Islamic organisation in Trafalgar Square.
Context of the controversy
Describing the event, which was an open-air Iftar during Ramadan, as an "act of domination", the Tory MP was asked in his interview "is it really a bad thing where people are doing things in the open rather than hidden away in a mosque?"
Mecca is considered to be the birthplace of Islam, and non-Muslims are legally prohibited from entering the city. In 2024 some 19.3 million people visited the city, with the majority attending as part of the Hajj pilgrimage.
Hajj is considered to be an obligation for all Muslims to attend at least once during the course of their life.
Mayor's wider comments
Elsewhere in his interview the Mayor of London, who has recently been recommended for a peerage by Sir Keir Starmer, accused right wing politicians of seeking to sew division. He said: "This is a Christian country, some would say a Judeo-Christian country [...] nobody wants to fly the flag of Mohammed over Downing Street. Or I certainly don’t."
"I don’t understand why there’s this pushback. You’re making people feel like second-class citizens and driving this narrative about the clash of civilisations. This is music to the ears of those who are radicalising young people."
