Popular Muslim YouTuber Mohammed Hijab is pursuing a defamation lawsuit against The Spectator and its associate editor, Douglas Murray, over an article that accused him of exacerbating racial tensions during the 2022 Leicester riots.
Hijab, a Muslim influencer with millions of subscribers on social media, asserts that the accusations in Murray’s article are untrue and claims it caused him “to suffer damage to his reputation, distress, humiliation, embarrassment, hurt and injury to his feelings.”
Last week, the Royal Courts of Justice heard four days of evidence between 14 to 17 July as both sides argued their case.
Hijab’s legal team alleged that the article led to financial losses, including a £3,500-a-month advertising contract and a £30,000 payment for a Ramadan fundraising campaign.
In response, lawyers for Murray and The Spectator, led by Mark Lewis of Patron Law, countered Hijab’s claims arguing that as a public figure who frequently engages in contentious debates, Hijab’s reputation is already under scrutiny.
Any “adverse consequences” to the YouTuber stem from his own behaviour, not the article, they argued.
Hijab appeared in court and gave evidence during the four day hearing, however, Murray chose not to appear.
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Although Murray’s article focused on what happened in Leicester in the summer of 2022, his barrister, William Bennett KC, chose to direct his questioning of Hijab in relation to his appearances at two events on May 22 and 23, 2021.
One was an appearance in Golders Green, London, and the other was a protest outside the Israeli embassy which Hijab also attended.
Mr Bennett grilled Hijab about his reasons for traveling to Golders Green on the Jewish Sabbath where he questioned local Jews about their views on Israel and Palestine.
He later told Mr Bennett that he had chosen to go to Golders Green, which he did not accept had a majority Jewish population, “because I was told that if you want to find the Zionists, you should go to Golders Green.”
Representing Hijab was Mark Henderson, who delivered closing remarks at the end of a four-day libel trial at the Royal Courts of Justice.
Henderson said the defendants had been “unable to find” more than three examples of problematic behaviour “out of thousands of hours of footage posted online (on YouTube).”
Hijab has been described by his critics as controversial over his views on Israel and the Hindutva, while Douglas Murray has equally been criticised by many over views on Islam and immigration as well as his staunch support for Israel amid the ongoing genocide in Gaza.
Hindutva and the Leicester riots
In 2022, violent scenes occurred in Leicester and Birmingham between Muslims and Hindus over alleged attacks against Muslims by radical Islamophobic Hindu extremists.
The attacks appeared to have been inspired by the Hindutva ideology, a powerful political force from India.
Hindutva leaders promote a Hindu supremacist ideology which considers Muslims, Sikhs and any other religious minorities in India as inferior to Hindus. Hindutva leaders also engage in regular sectarian hate speech and have been documented inciting violence against Muslims many times.
It is believed that the Hindutva ideology has spread through the Indian diaspora and has radicalised some Hindus living in Britain.
5Pillars reported at the time that several Muslim families living in Leicester had alleged that kids in Muslim heavy areas had been violently attacked by sectarian gangs. Some were hospitalised as a result of the attacks.
During the height of the unrest, Hijab travelled up to Leicester to speak to Muslim protesters. Speaking to a large crowd, Hijab delivered an apparent warning against further Hindutva inspired thuggery, saying: “I’m saying this directly to all the so-called Hindutva wannabe gangsters: Don’t ever come out like that again!”
In his column, Murray, who recently received an award from Israeli President Isaac Herzog for being a “friend to the Jewish people”, accused Hijab of “cropping up in Leicester to whip up his followers.”
The case, heard by Mr Justice Johnson, has concluded and a verdict will be released later this year.
