AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): Remarks by one of the founders of the "Restore Britain" party show that the discourse of some British far-right figures has moved beyond attacking immigration policies to questioning citizens' belonging based on their religion.
According to The Telegraph, Charlie Downs, the party's election campaign director, has said that British Muslims are less British than Christians. He has presented a narrow definition of citizenship in Britain based on family lineage and Christian religion, rather than law, social participation, and a general sense of belonging.
These remarks came after controversy created by Robert Lowe, the leader of the "Restore Britain" party, who refused to clearly answer whether King Charles is considered a white British person, saying that there are various interpretations of this term.
Thus, the point of contention, according to The Telegraph's report, has shifted from the issue of race and lineage to the issue of religion. An issue that places Muslims and non-Christians outside a narrow and specific definition of citizenship in Britain.
A Restrictive Definition
The Telegraph, citing Baroness Gohar, a member of the House of Lords and head of the British Muslim Women's Network, says that respecting the country's Christian heritage does not mean excluding Muslims, followers of other religions, or non-religious people.
She recalled that 37 percent of the British population in the last census declared themselves as non-religious, and asked if the criterion of lineage were applied even to the British royal family, what would remain of this definition?
According to Gohar, being British is based on a sense of belonging, participation, respect for laws and institutions, and citizens' support for one another, not on a religious or racial test.
Widespread Condemnation
The Telegraph, citing Fiyaz Mughal from the organization "Muslims Against Anti-Semitism," also writes that these remarks have been described as regrettable and discriminatory, as they diminish a person's status based on their religion.
He said that any party that harbors such discourse is unworthy of approaching power.
Condemnation was not limited to Muslims. Rabbi Levi Shapiro from the Jewish Community Council also said that portraying Muslims as less British than Christians also insults British Jews. British identity belongs to all individuals, regardless of religion, race, or background.
British Far-Right on a Path of Intensification
The Telegraph considers Downs' remarks as part of a broader crisis facing the "Restore Britain" party. According to the newspaper, Downs had previously been accused of making anti-Semitic references in a post about Nigel Farage and his Jewish supporters.
A spokesperson for the campaign against anti-Semitism has also warned against intertwining the issue of illegal immigration with discrimination against anyone who is not white British or Christian.
The newspaper says that critics' concerns about the party have increased with the emergence of activists calling for a policy of reverse migration, meaning the expulsion of a large number of individuals who, from the perspective of these currents, are not considered white British, even if they entered the country legally or participate in society.
Accordingly, Downs' remarks, as The Telegraph reported, do not appear to be merely a slip of the tongue or an isolated statement, but reveal part of a more important battle over the meaning of citizenship in Britain.
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