“Muslim Gangsters” and Secular Ironies
6th December 2023
There are better adverts for Islam than Mohammed Hijab, but he is one of the biggest in contemporary Britain. A “debater and public speaker” with enough self-awareness to call himself “Instigator-in-Chief” on his Twitter account, he is a very 21st Century Islamic evangelist. Charismatic and quick-witted, he also enjoys being at the centre of a fuss.
Mr Hijab led demonstrations amid the communal discontent between Muslims and Hindus in Leicester last year. He has become a regular on Piers Morgan Uncensored — which is, one must admit, a good way not to be the most obnoxious man in the room. Now, a clip has emerged in which Hijab warns people who “attack the sacred symbols of Islam” that “we have Muslim gangsters … we can’t stop Muslim gangsters from dealing with you”.
Now, to be fair, we have to assume that saying “we can’t stop” implies that Mr Hijab doesn’t endorse the actions of these “Muslim gangsters”. Still, it is not something I would be proud to admit about my co-religionists.