The recent interview between Nottingham-based imam Umayr Mulla and the notorious far-right Islamophobe Tommy Robinson (real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon) was, to put it bluntly, a disappointingly naïve engagement that has done far more harm than good, writes Dilly Hussain.
While young Imam Umayr’s intentions were presumably sincere, and his explanations on the sanctity of life, the prohibition of rape in Islam, and the fallacy of so-called “Muslim grooming gangs” were commendable, they were overshadowed by a series of major missteps that reveal how ill-prepared many of our religious figures are when navigating the media and political minefields of ideological Islamophobia and Zionist propaganda.
Let’s be absolutely clear about the context: Tommy Robinson, a convicted criminal and serial fraudster, is currently on a state-sponsored trip to Israel aimed at whitewashing the Zionist entity’s ongoing genocide in Gaza and promoting pro-Israel narratives to the white British masses.
His brand has always thrived on demonising Islam and Muslims — from cursing the Prophet ﷺ and the Qur’an, to dishonouring Muslim women, and inciting hatred that has directly fuelled abuse and violent attacks against Muslims in Britain.
In addition, he has spent the past two years on X mocking, taunting, and dehumanising the shuhada of Gaza, its starving children, and the wider suffering of the Palestinian people. For an imam who by his own admission, claimed to follow Robinson’s work closely — to engage with him in the way he did, let alone pose for smiling selfies, represents a serious lapse in judgment that warrants brotherly scrutiny.
Problematic framings and concessions
In the viral video filmed outside the vicinity of Masjid Al-Aqsa, Imam Umayr swiftly recognised Israel’s legitimacy as a state and its right to peaceful existence while affording Palestinians merely a “safe spot” free of oppression.
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He uttered the former with ease and conviction, but the latter with visible hesitation and lack of clarity.
He also claimed that “Israelis have thousands of years’ history in this land [Palestine].” Do they? Did he mean Jews or Bani Israel? Perhaps he misspoke, but the statement has now reached hundreds of thousands uncorrected, reinforcing Zionist historical revisionism that even many Western academics, politicians and journalists approach with caution and scepticism.
Imam Umayr went further, speaking of unequivocal and lasting peace with Israel based on its claim to a state on stolen and occupied Palestinian land — on whose authority did he grant that legitimacy?
He also dismissed the opinion of the celebrated and erudite classical scholar Ibn Kathir (rh), while failing to correct Robinson’s mistranslation of Qur’anic verses relating to capital punishment for those who “cause mischief in the land.”
He made sweeping generalisations about Pakistanis and Kashmiris as “extreme” and “sectarian,” while portraying Gujarati Deobandis as “more welcoming” and “non-violent” — reinforcing the “good Muslim versus bad Muslim” narrative that Islamophobes have weaponised throughout the “War on Terror.” It should be noted that the safety and security many Muslims — including Gujarati Deobandis — enjoy in the UK today is largely due to the community resistance led by predominantly Pakistani and Kashmiri youth who confronted racists across cities in the Midlands and the North throughout the 1980s, 1990s, and early 2000s. I must also add that the Deobandi movement is far from being synonymous with pacifism or non-sectarianism: from the Afghan and Pakistani Taliban to violent clashes between Tablighi Jamaat factions in Bangladesh, and groups such as Lashkar-e-Jhangvi and Sipah-e-Sahaba in Pakistan — all are well known for their militancy or hardline attitudes towards other Muslim groups.
He described the prominent Muslim YouTuber Ali Dawah as “angry” and someone who “shouts” a lot, while comparing himself as calm and “peaceful.” He even contrasted “good immigrants” — like his father and grandfather’s generation who “own houses” — with the new wave of “bad immigrants” from countries like Syria, Sudan, Afghanistan, Iran, and Albania who “don’t contribute to society and commit crimes.” Each of these points played perfectly into Islamophobic and racist narratives that seek to divide Muslims by ethnicity, geography, and immigration status.
When engagement becomes validation
This was not a neutral exchange of ideas, it was a propaganda opportunity for Robinson. His closing line said it all: “We need more Muslims and imams like him.” Since then, the interview has received millions of views across X, YouTube, and TikTok, drawing applause from Israelis, Zionists, and far-right sympathisers alike who hailed Imam Umayr as a moderate and model Muslim.
Whether that was his intention or not, the framing worked — the “non-violent, peaceful Muslim who recognises Israel’s right to exist” became the latest PR tool in a long-standing effort to sanitise Israeli oppression and delegitimise Palestinian resistance. But even then, Imam Umayr’s appeasement and placating was not enough to win over Robinson who accused him of “taqiyya” (lying to deceive non-Muslims) merely days after this engagement.
All this comes after two years of live-streamed genocide in 4K, with daily images of starving children, burnt and decapitated corpses, mass graves, and entire families erased. Against that backdrop, Imam Umayr’s conciliatory tone and concessions towards Israel appeared grotesquely out of touch. His framing and approach personified a mindset we’ve seen countless times before — Muslims attempting to appease their transgressors, believing compromise will earn respect and humanisation, but it never does.
Since 9/11 and the subsequent US-led “War on Terror,” countless well-meaning voices — far more experienced and qualified than Imam Umayr — have tried to engage with the architects and perpetrators of Islamophobia, hoping that politeness and self-critique would soften hearts. The result has always been the same: more censorship, more demonisation, and more discrimination. No amount of compromise, concession, or condemnation will ever be enough for those committed to extinguishing the truth and justice of Islam.
Lessons and learning
To his credit, Imam Umayr has since apologised, sought forgiveness, and been suspended from his role at Masjid Al Khazra in Nottingham. That reprimand and humility deserves acknowledgement, not a sustained campaign of character assassination. However, this encounter exposes a much deeper issue within our community: a lack of media literacy and political education among religious figures.
Our imams and tullab al-‘ilm who graduate from traditional seminaries are trained in theology, jurisprudence, Arabic, and Qur’anic memorisation, but not in the ideological and geopolitical realities of the post-modern nation-state world. Before engaging in public debates or interviews — particularly on issues like Palestine and Zionism — they must first receive basic media training and develop a solid understanding of the history of Zionism and contemporary geopolitics in the Muslim world. Without that grounding, good intentions can be weaponised and sacred knowledge manipulated in the service of falsehood.
By Allah (SWT), I want our ulama, imams, and tullab al-‘ilm to once again lead the way in addressing the pressing sociopolitical issues facing Muslims, just as they did for over a millennium in our rich history. But that leadership requires new competencies that are not taught in traditional madrasas and seminaries.
As a journalist, podcaster, and commentator, I welcome dialogue and debate, but only when grounded in principle, knowledge, and self-awareness. The Muslim community cannot afford another naïve public engagement that hands the open adversaries of Islam the moral or political high ground while legitimising Zionist and Islamophobic propaganda.
May Allah (SWT) forgive our shortcomings and grant us the wisdom, knowledge, and courage to defend the Deen with clarity and conviction. Ameen.
