Former Coronation Street actor Qasim Akhtar has secured a second apology and damages from a national newspaper after the Daily Mail admitted publishing false claims about his Muslim faith and alleged links to “Islamic extremism.”
The settlement follows a separate legal victory against The Sun, which also apologised and paid damages over false allegations linking the actor to extremism, radicalisation and violence.
Akhtar, who played Zeedan Nazir in Coronation Street and Chesney Karib in Shameless, has spoken of the personal and reputational damage caused by the reporting, saying his religion should never have been used to make assumptions about his beliefs or character.
The latest settlement comes after the Daily Mail published an article on November 22, 2025, claiming that Akhtar had moved to Pakistan and condemned his supposedly “degenerate past”.
The article also referred to his meeting with Muslim preacher Uthman Ibn Farooq and claimed that Akhtar had praised his “beautiful reminders”.
Following legal action brought by media law firm Taylor Hampton, Associated Newspapers Limited, the publisher of the Daily Mail, accepted that the claims were false and agreed to pay damages.
In a public correction and apology, the newspaper stated: “We now accept that these claims were false. In fact, Manchester was and remains Mr Akhtar’s home and, although he did meet Mr Farooq, he has never endorsed or supported extremist views.”
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The newspaper added: “We have agreed to pay Mr Akhtar a sum in damages and apologise for any harm caused to him.”
‘My faith should never be used to target me’
Responding to the latest settlement, Akhtar said he was pleased that the Daily Mail had publicly acknowledged that its claims were false.
“This is the second national newspaper to apologise and pay me damages over stories which portrayed me in a completely false and deeply damaging way.”
He said the experience had been particularly painful because of the assumptions made about his religion.
“I am a proud Muslim and my faith should never be used as a basis to target and portray me as an extremist or to make false assumptions about what I believe.”
Akhtar reiterated that Manchester had always remained his home and that he had never supported extremist views.
“The past year has been incredibly difficult for me and my family. Having two national newspapers make these kinds of allegations about you has consequences that extend far beyond a headline.”
He added that he hoped his experience would encourage greater reflection on the damage caused when someone’s religion is used to make assumptions about their character or beliefs.
Second newspaper apology
The Daily Mail settlement follows a separate libel case against News Group Newspapers, publishers of The Sun, over an article published in November 2025.
That article falsely alleged that Akhtar had backed and teamed up with an Islamic cleric and, through that association, supported extremism, radicalisation and violence.
It also falsely claimed that he had relocated to Pakistan and undertaken firearms training.
Akhtar launched High Court proceedings against the publisher, which subsequently agreed to pay substantial damages and his legal costs, and undertook not to repeat the allegations.
In July, the parties made a statement in open court, with The Sun acknowledging that the article had caused serious harm to Akhtar’s reputation and considerable distress.
His lawyers said the damage had extended to his family life and business, which he had been forced to put on hold while the dispute was resolved.
The newspaper also acknowledged that it had failed to seek Akhtar’s response to the serious allegations before publication.
In its apology, The Sun accepted that the allegations were “entirely false and should never have been published”.
It also acknowledged that Akhtar had never been involved in or associated with radicalisation and had never endorsed or supported extremist views.
Akhtar, who has publicly documented his journey towards becoming more practising in his Islamic faith, previously spoke about the impact of The Sun’s reporting following his return from performing Umrah.
In an Instagram statement following that settlement, he said the allegations had affected his reputation, family, safety and peace of mind.
He also explained that his intention in sharing his religious journey had been to demonstrate the beauty and values of Islam.
Despite the ordeal, Akhtar said he had forgiven The Sun, citing the importance of forgiveness in his religion.
“Forgiveness is a staple in my religion. Islam teaches that forgiveness will take you so much further than harbouring hate and anger towards those who have wronged you.”
Lawyers warn of serious reputational harm
Daniel Taylor, Managing Partner of Taylor Hampton, said the two settlements demonstrated the seriousness of the allegations made against his client.
“Qasim has now received apologies and damages from two major national newspaper publishers over extremely serious allegations which were simply untrue.”
He stressed that allegations connecting an individual to extremism could cause enormous personal and reputational harm.
“Qasim has been steadfast throughout in challenging what was published about him. We are pleased that Associated Newspapers has now acknowledged that these claims were false, apologised and agreed to compensate him for the harm caused.”
Jay Joshi, Senior Associate at Taylor Hampton, who also represented Akhtar, said the allegations had directly affected the actor’s reputation, beliefs and identity.
He welcomed the public correction, saying the two settlements provided important vindication following an incredibly difficult period.
“No individual should find themselves having to disprove serious allegations of extremism on the basis of assumptions drawn from their religion.”
