‘Deeply disturbing’ remarks made by the two candidates vying to lead the Muslim Council of Britain have been uncovered by a think tank.
Dr Muhammad Adrees and Dr Mohammed Wajid Akhter are battling it out to become the secretary-general of the group, with their first public hustings to take place on Tuesday.
But just days before the debate, right-wing think tank Policy Exchange has published a report highlighting some of their previous remarks which Britain’s longest serving Muslim MP Khalid Mahmood has described as ‘deeply disturbing’.
Policy Exchange’s report, titled ‘The Muslim Council of Britain’s new leadership’, claims Dr Adrees ‘has strongly supported the dictatorial regime in Iran’.
While Dr Akhter, from Essex, is said to have ‘expressed views which appear ominous for the integration of Muslims into Britain’.
The document points to a 2022 article in which he advocated British Muslims to identify primarily as Muslim rather than British.
‘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,’ he wrote.
‘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.’
Right-wing think tank Policy Exchange as uncovered remarks made by Muslim Council secretary general candidate Dr Muhammad Adrees (pictured) in which he praised the regime in Iran
Fellow candidate Dr Mohammed Wajid Akhter is said to have ‘expressed views which appear ominous for the integration of Muslims into Britain’
In another article in 2012, Dr Akhter described New Year celebrations as a ‘pagan’ event, saying Muslims shouldn’t take part because it ‘usually involves un-Islamic practices’ such as ‘mixed gender events where people wear fashionable clothes, dance and sing songs, etc. It is necessarily an Islam free zone, not least because it has no basis or relationship to Islam’.
Dr Adrees in 2017 wrote a glowing report in Islam Today about the Iran regime after visiting Tehran.
In it, he praised the former supreme leader Ruhollah Khomeini and ‘the Iranian Revolution, when the great leader led the nation to its destiny’.
Khalid Mahmood, a senior fellow at Policy Exchange and Britain’s longest-serving Muslim MP, from 2001 to 2024, told The Times: ‘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.’
MCB claimed Policy Exchange had ‘a long history of hostility towards British Muslims’, which the think tank strenuously denied.
The council added: ‘As for the specific allegations, we trust our affiliates will scrutinise candidates thoroughly in the weeks ahead at our hustings events and through the democratic process.’
Dr Akhter told The Times: ‘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.’
MailOnline has contacted Dr Adrees and the MCB for further comment.
