Responding to Nigel Farage and Kemi Badenoch’s comments on public Muslim prayers, Green Party Leader and Deputy Leaders, Zack Polanski, Mothin Ali and Rachel Millward have released a joint statement:
“We stand in solidarity with those from our religious communities increasingly under attack and firmly in defence of religious freedom, peaceful public gathering, and the right of all communities to express their beliefs openly and without fear.
Recent comments from Nigel Farage and Kemi Badenoch regarding public prayer by Muslim communities risk not only inflaming division and misrepresenting the nature of peaceful religious expression, but also undermining the very freedoms that form the foundation of a democratic and pluralistic society.
Britain has long been a country where people of all faiths, and none, can come together in shared spaces with mutual respect. Events such as the Trafalgar Square gathering ahead of Eid, where people of different backgrounds joined in prayer and reflection, are not “acts of intimidation or dominance”. They are expressions of community and coexistence. They reflect the best of our society, not a threat to it.
To characterise such gatherings as outside the “norms of British culture” is to misunderstand what British culture truly is: diverse, evolving, and enriched by the many communities that call this country home. Religious freedom is not conditional on whether a practice is familiar or comfortable to some, it is a fundamental right.
Words matter, and they can either build bridges or deepen divides. We choose to use ours to build bridges.”
Zack Polanski
Mothin Ali
Rachel Millward
Follow this news feed: Green Party