https://telegraph.co.uk/gift/772d5e7026326c94

Teach children to identify as Muslim instead of British, says frontrunner for Islamic body

Wajid Akhter, standing to be general secretary of the Muslim Council of Britain, also condemned new year celebrations as ‘pagan’

Children in the Islamic community should be taught to identify themselves primarily as Muslim rather than British, the frontrunner to lead the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) has said.

Wajid Akhter, who is standing to be general secretary of the MCB, warned in an article that teaching children to identify primarily with their nationality or ethnicity could make them shallow, whereas choosing their faith as their primary identity provided a solid foundation to approach life.

He also called being a Muslim an “act of revolutionary defiance… at odds with the prevailing culture” and condemned new year celebrations as “pagan”, “mixed-gender” and “the first step on a slippery slope”, according to analysis of his speeches and writings by think tank Policy Exchange.

Dr Akhter, a doctor from Essex, looks set to lead the MCB, an influential body representing the Muslim community. He had a senior role in The Muslim Vote, a campaign at the last election to defeat Labour and Conservative candidates in favour of MPs sympathetic to Palestine, and hostile to UK counter-terror policy.

The only other candidate, Muhammad Adrees, praised “the Iranian Revolution when the great leader [Ayatollah Khomeini] led the nation to its destiny” in a publication linked to the Tehran regime, according to Policy Exchange.

One of the two will be elected to replace the current MCB secretary-general, Zara Mohammed, on January 25.

Khalid Mahmood, a senior fellow at Policy Exchange and Britain’s longest-serving Muslim MP from 2001 to 2024, said: “The views exposed by Policy Exchange are deeply disturbing.

“That the MCB keeps getting it wrong is no accident - it is a design fault, rooted in its ideology. The Government rightly refuses to engage with the MCB and this demonstrates why that policy should not change.”

In two speeches in 2023, Akhter said Muslims should “organise” and “unite” into a “powerful community” that would “change from the hand that is begging to the hand that is giving.” He said: “We all want Saladin [a Muslim leader who defeated the Crusaders] to come today.”

He said he was part of a movement “trying to unite the Muslim world politically,” adding: “If we unite, we can win.”

In 2022, Akhter said that “to be a Muslim today is an act of revolutionary defiance – standing at odds with the prevailing culture in many ways.”

In the same 2022 article, he wrote: “Most people teach their children to be their nationality or ethnicity first, but this gives such a limited and limiting view of yourself and others that this can lead children to be shallow. It is literally how the evils of nationalism, racism, and fascism are born.

“Choosing faith as a primary identity for your children (and of course yourself) allows a solid foundation upon which to approach the world. Note that I say ‘primary’ as opposed to ‘only’…Teach them to be Muslim primarily.”

‘Global community of Muslims’

Akhter, a former assistant secretary-general and current National Council member of the MCB, said children “are constantly bombarded by examples of how the Western world is cool – whether through the examples of Captain America, Elon Musk or LeBron James.”

He added: “Make your children realise that they are heirs to an ancient and proud nation so they can hold their head up high.” The “ancient and proud nation” here is not Britain, he said, but Islam, or the Ummah, the global community of Muslims.

In an older piece, Akhter said celebrating New Year was “the first step on a slippery slope. “By adopting the celebrations of others, we are not harmlessly saying a few words or just enjoying ourselves,” he said.

“We are opening the door to disappearing within the dominant culture, to a future in which our children may have Muslim names, but are otherwise indistinguishable from non-Muslims in their habits, customs and appearances.”

Asked about the approaching MCB vote, Dr Akhter said: “I am standing for Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Britain because I love my community and my country.

“British Muslims have made, and will continue to make, a positive contribution to our society. My vision is to strengthen unity among all Britons, fostering mutual respect, shared values, and opportunities for everyone to thrive. Any attempt to misrepresent my views or intentions is not only deeply misleading but entirely unfounded.”

In a statement, the MCB said: “The Policy Exchange has a long history of hostility towards British Muslims, including being exposed by BBC Newsnight for fabricating evidence to smear our community. They are consistent in advocating for indirectly denying Muslims equal rights and an equal say in our democracy. 

“Khalid Mahmood, a politician rejected by his own electorate, appears intent on targeting his own community to gain favour with those who seek to marginalise us. As for the specific allegations raised, we trust our affiliates will scrutinise candidates thoroughly in the weeks ahead at our hustings events and through the democratic process.”