‘British Muslims fear Musk influence and emboldened Islamophobia under Trump’
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Young British Muslims are worried about the influence of Elon Musk and whether the Donald Trump presidency in the US might see Islamophobia “emboldened”, the outgoing leader of the UK’s largest Muslim umbrella organisation said. In her final days as secretary-general of the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB), Zara Mohammed, the first woman and youngest person to hold the role, warned of a “deeply challenging time” for her community.
Mr Musk, the billionaire owner of Tesla and SpaceX, is a close ally of Mr Trump, who will be inaugurated for his second presidential term on Monday. Mr Musk is expected to have a key role in the political administration in the US, and has been engaging in controversial commentary online regarding UK politics recently, including piling pressure on the Prime Minister to order an inquiry into grooming gangs.
In an interview with the PA news agency before she steps down after her four-year term as MCB leader, Ms Mohammed said the “normalisation of figures on the far-right” is concerning. Asked how young British Muslims are feeling, she said: “I think it’s a deeply challenging time. Many Muslims in particular are kind of staying away from X and certain social media platforms.
“It’s so hostile. It’s so disgusting I would say, the kind of vitriol we’re seeing. The smearing of, whether it’s Pakistani communities or Muslim communities, you know. “Using child grooming to, again, politicise and actually make one community look really barbaric – so I think we’re really worried.
