Reform councillor sparks spat about Muslim British politicians wearing a hijab and swearing on the Quran

An MP has slammed a Derbyshire councillor for engaging in “far-right dog-whistle politics” about her wearing a hijab and swearing on a Quran.

Cllr Simon Mabbott, Reform’s representative for Ilkeston South and Kirk Hallam on Derbyshire County Council, shared a post on Facebook about an MP swearing their parliamentary oath on the Quran while wearing a hijab, a religious head covering.

The now-deleted post, shared by Cllr Mabbott, who is chair of the county’s audit committee and support cabinet member for special educational needs, had included a video of Labour MP for Bradford West, Naz Shah, swearing her parliamentary oath on the Quran, while wearing a hijab.

Cllr Mabbott had written on his share of the post: “Is this where British politics is now? Is this the Houses of Parliament in Great Britain?

“Is this representing you?

“If you are still sleep walking into this…it’s time to wake up. #ReformUK.”

A commenter asked underneath Cllr Mabbott’s post: “Why should this be allowed to swear to Allah, this is Christian Britain?”

Cllr Mabbott, who recently ran to be a member of the Reform UK board, responded: “Good question.”

The Local Democracy Reporting Service asked Cllr Mabbott if he would like to provide a statement but he has not provided one as of this article’s publication.

Cllr Alan Graves, Reform’s county council leader and a Derby city councillor, dubbed the comments “tame”, defending the right for people to wear that wish and said he would not be taking action, but said Reform’s head office may decide differently.

He also claimed someone in politics wearing a hijab would not be representative of the rural county.

Reform UK has been approached for comment but has not provided a response of this article’s publication.

The politician in question, Ms Shah, said: “This is far-right dog-whistle politics, and if Reform UK is serious about protecting freedom of religion and belief, it must take swift action.

“For decades, MPs have sworn their oaths of allegiance on diverse sacred texts, including the Torah, Hebrew Bible, Bhagavad Gita, Sundar Gutka, Dhammapada, and the Quran, reflecting a long-standing tradition in both Houses of Parliament. Yet, far-right groups single out my oath as a British Muslim, driven by their anti-Muslim prejudice.

“Freedom of religion and belief is a fundamental British value. The far-right’s attempts to hijack this principle to attack Muslims are deeply concerning, particularly when elected councillors adopt such divisive positions.”

Cllr Graves said: “As far as Reform UK is concerned, people have the freedom to wear what they want in any way, shape or form.

“We have people who have identity issues and if they want to wear different clothing as to what is classed as normal, I think people should be free to wear what they want to wear.

“In this case, if this lady wants to wear a hijab, then let her wear it.

“I need to have a conversation with Cllr Mabbott to see where he is coming from. Maybe he has a particular view about religion. I don’t know.”

In response to Ms Shah’s comments, Cllr Graves said: “It is exactly what I would have expected her to say.

“Reform head office may be looking at this and may take a different view.”

Cllr Graves, following a call with Cllr Mabbott, said: “I still think people should be able to wear what they want to wear.

“I would leave it to head office because I think it is pretty tame to be honest. I think it is more about a discussion rather than accusation or a particular beef.

“Simon is a good councillor, he is one of the good councillors.

“It is just about questions. We have to question ourselves.”

Asked if he felt someone wearing a hijab was representative of British politics, he said: “I think they do, yes.

“Whether they represent Derbyshire, probably not.”

Asked about the Derby population in particular, where a higher percentage of people wear hijabs, he said: “Oh well that’s Derby isn’t it, that’s different.”

He said a conversation about Derby could wait until the local government reorganisation had been carried out, which will see the city merged with a number of new county councils.

Cllr Graves said: “It is gleaning opinions from the electorate and you might not like the questions he is asking, I don’t know, but he is legitimately asking questions.”

Asked again if someone wearing a hijab in politics would represent Derbyshire, he said: “For rural Derbyshire, I don’t think so. 

“The majority of people in Derbyshire aren’t Muslim. If they want to stand for Parliament, please put yourself forward.”

Asked if people wearing hijabs would not be representative of the area if they do not make up the majority, he said: “No, not necessarily the majority but I would expect there to be a significant number of people in that particular area.”

Asked for clarity on whether a higher proportion of people wearing hijabs would be needed to have a political representative for that area who wears one, he said:  “No, not necessarily at all. This is not my view. I think people should be able to stand wherever they want to.

“The post you are talking about is not one that I would have commented on because it does not interest me or bother me, it isn’t an issue to me.

“It is not something that I would have posted.

“I don’t think it is something that I want to get involved in, no, I don’t think it is necessary.”

The 2021 Derbyshire Census – excluding Derby – detailed that 47.8 per cent of the population identify as Christian, followed by 44.6 per cent saying they were not religious and 0.3 per cent as Muslim.

Census data for 2021 in Derby shows 40.2 per cent of people identified as Christian, 36.6 per cent as not religious and 11.1 per cent as Muslim.

Parliamentary data shows that in the Derby North constituency, 41.6 per cent of people identified as not religious, 40.7 per cent as Christian and six per cent as Muslim.

Meanwhile, in the Derby South constituency, 36.6 per cent of people identified as Christian, 30.5 per cent as not religious and 19.1 per cent as Muslim.

In Erewash, 49.9 per cent of people identify as not religious, 42.6 per cent as Christian and 0.4 per cent as Muslim.