Nigel Farage Faces Widespread Condemnation Over Call to Ban Public Muslim Prayer
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has sparked outrage after calling for a ban on public prayer by Muslims in the United Kingdom. His comments, made during the launch of his party's manifesto for the upcoming Scottish parliament elections, have been labelled as bigoted and divisive by Muslim leaders and political opponents alike.
Controversial Remarks Follow Trafalgar Square Event
Farage specifically referenced an event held earlier this week in London's Trafalgar Square, where hundreds of Muslims and people of other faiths gathered for prayer before the celebration of Eid. The event, organised by the Ramadan Tent Project and attended by London Mayor Sadiq Khan, has now been held in the historic square six times without previous incident or controversy.
"This was an open, deliberate, wilful attempt, not at the private observance of a different religion, but the attempt to overtake, intimidate and dominate our way of life," Farage declared, describing the gathering as "a wake up call and a warning to everybody."
When questioned by reporters about whether he would support banning such events in future, Farage responded: "We wouldn't want to stop individuals praying but mass prayer is banned in many Muslim countries in the Middle East itself. So, yes, we have to stop this kind of mass demonstration, provocative demonstration, in historic British sites."
Political Figures Unite in Criticism
Former Scottish First Minister Humza Yousaf, the UK's first Muslim first minister, strongly condemned Farage's remarks. "Nigel Farage seems to have no issues with Christian prayer, Hannukah, Vaisakhi or Diwali all being celebrated in Trafalgar Square. He only has a problem with Muslims praying. There is a word for that, bigotry," Yousaf stated.
Yousaf further expressed disappointment that such rhetoric had been "mainstreamed" by Conservative figures, specifically mentioning Nick Timothy MP, a member of the opposition shadow cabinet.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch defended Timothy after he claimed that Islamic prayers in public spaces were intimidating and unBritish. Badenoch framed the debate differently, stating: "This debate which Nick is having is not about freedom of religion. It is about how religion is expressed in a shared public space, and whether those expressions fit within the norms of a British culture."
Muslim Community Leaders Express Concern
Shaista Gohir, a crossbench peer and leader of the Muslim Women's Network UK, questioned the motivation behind calls for bans. "When these gatherings are conducted responsibly – without obstructing roads, causing disruption, and with proper safety measures – why then do some politicians seek to ban them?" she asked. "The answer is simple: they object to the sight of them. This reflects a deep-seated hatred toward Muslims."
Akeela Ahmed, chief executive of the British Muslim Trust, warned that British Muslims "must not become a political football" and emphasised that "words have consequences." She urged those who believe in British values of tolerance, equality under the law, and freedom of religion to prevent those values from being cast aside in attempts to marginalise British Muslims.
Scottish Political Context
Farage made his controversial remarks while speaking to approximately 500 supporters at a country club near Glasgow alongside Reform UK's Scotland leader, Malcolm Offord. The event served to introduce candidates for the Holyrood elections in May, where Reform UK plans to stand candidates in all Scottish seats.
The party's manifesto pledges to "make Scotland the most successful part of the UK" and includes commitments to scrap Scotland's six-band income tax system and eliminate all SNP government net zero targets, subsidies, and related quangos.
Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar described Farage's remarks as exemplifying his "toxic, poisonous politics," while recent opinion polls show Reform UK either neck and neck with or slightly ahead of Scottish Labour in Scotland, though their popularity appears to be slipping according to recent surveys.
The controversy highlights growing tensions around religious expression in public spaces and raises significant questions about religious freedom, social cohesion, and political rhetoric in contemporary Britain.
