Reform councillors demand Birmingham Council only speaks English after Islamic prayer read aloud in Arabic at ceremony

Reform UK councillors have called for Birmingham Council to only speak English after an Islamic prayer was read aloud in Arabic at a mayoral ceremony.

Newly-appointed Lord Mayor Zaker Choudhry had invited an imam to deliver a verse from the Koran in Arabic as he was sworn in.

But members of Reform's 23-man group - the largest at the authority - have said the council must stay "accessible to all" by speaking the national language.

In a letter to Mr Choudhry, councillors acknowledged Birmingham was a "diverse city made up of many different faiths and backgrounds".

TRENDING

Stories

Videos

Your Say

However, they said council meetings must "remain inclusive and accessible to all residents regardless of religion or culture".

The councillors added that all readings and proceedings should be in English.

They also warned it was "inappropriate" for any readings to be in a language which many residents did not understand.

Group leader Jex Parkin said he "respects the personal faith and beliefs of the Lord Mayor and all communities across Birmingham".

Mr Parkin continued: "It's clear only the English language should be used in public meetings in this country.

"We will always advocate for this, on behalf of the residents that elected us to promote and protect the language, culture and values of the United Kingdom.

"We look forward to supporting the Lord Mayor in his new role, and trust this feedback will be accepted with the good faith in which it is offered. Clearly, many residents share our view."

The letter immediately sparked uproar from Labour, which controlled the council until it was booted out at the May 7 local elections.

Councillor Majid Mahmood said the Reform warning was "nonsense" - then claimed that saying only English should be heard in civic spaces "risks sending a deeply unfortunate message".

"Birmingham’s diversity is our strength, not something to be feared or politicised," he said in a letter of support to the Lord Mayor.

ENGLISH LANGUAGE UNDER FIRE - READ MORE:

• Migrants' English language tests could soon be run on Duolingo despite major security warning
• One in five school pupils DO NOT speak English as their first language
• Labour London council promotes social housing to 'migrants who can't even speak English' - before quietly taking down video

Speaking in Arabic at the ceremony, imam Muhammad Abdali quoted a verse of the Koran which he said reminded everyone of how we should "live together in harmony and cooperation, in a spirit of goodness and righteousness".

Mr Abdali said the reading, which was later repeated in English, encourages love for each other regardless of background, religion or race.

"We should stand together and help each other... and that's the message of Islam," he said.

The imam said the prayer was about "standing up against all forms of extremism and terrorism", while the verse was cited so members would "work together for the good of the city of Birmingham and the wider community".

This is not the first time a Reform council has moved to promote patriotism.

Reform and Restore Britain councillors at Kent County Council came together with a pledge to recite the Lord's Prayer and sing the national anthem before its meetings.

While last summer, Reform launched a "patriotic flag pact" with its - at the time - 12 councils, vowing not to remove St George's Crosses and Union Jacks from lampposts.

The councils said both flags were symbols of unity and inclusion, and have confirmed they would not be taken down.

A Birmingham City Council spokesman said: "It is standard for every Lord Mayor to ask a local religious leader of their choice to do something at the start of the Mayoral year, if they wish.

"In this case, a blessing was performed for the Lord Mayor in his particular faith. Any Lord Mayor of any faith would have an equal opportunity to do the same."

Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter