A Green Party councillor who shouted “Allahu Akbar” to celebrate his local election win has accused his critics of Islamophobia.
Mothin Ali was elected in the Gipton and Harehills ward for Leeds City Council on Friday.
Mr Ali said his victory was a “win for the people of Gaza” and shouted “Allahu Akbar” in his acceptance speech which was recorded on his TikTok channel.
The Leeds Jewish Representative Council has written to the Green Party leadership demanding Mr Ali’s suspension, saying the victory speech was the culmination of his “substantial history of views which are concerning to the Jewish community”.
In a statement issued today through the Leeds Green Party, Mr Ali apologised for “any upset my comments caused about the Gaza conflict”.
He said the criticism he has received has led to him being subject to “hate and hostility” and added that the phrase is used as an “expression of gratitude and celebration” by Muslims.
Mr Ali said that, like many across the world, he has been “deeply impacted by the dreadful conflict currently underway in Gaza”.
He added: “I do not support violence on either side: violence leads to more violence and this is what I have tried to convey.
“I have consistently called for an immediate ceasefire and a release of all hostages.
“I hope to be working with a broad coalition including both the Jewish and Muslim Greens soon to discuss sensible ways for us to work on communicating our shared passion of bringing the conflict to an end.”
Mr Ali said that his election last week was “one of the proudest moments of my life”.
He added: “The inaccurate reporting and misrepresentation of my acceptance speech has led to me being subject to a lot of hate and hostility.
“I should also make clear that it is not unusual for somebody of my faith to use the words ‘Allahu Akbar’ as an expression of gratitude and celebration.
“Some have sought to misrepresent this and it suggests Islamophobia to me.”
Mr Ali won Gipton and Harehills with 3,070 votes – 747 more than his Labour rival.
The Green Party said it is fully investigating all of the context around this matter and has nothing further to add at this moment.
