Elham Asaad Buaras
A senior Reform UK councillor has faced cross-party condemnation after suggesting that teaching primary school children to pray in the Muslim faith could lead to radicalisation and crime.
The comments were made by Councillor Carl Abbott, Reform’s Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care at Leicestershire County Council, during a counter-terrorism training session held on January 5.
In a recorded video of the meeting, Cllr Abbott stated he was “worried” about “seeing children in primary schools being taught to pray the Muslim way.” He contrasted this with his own Christian schooling, adding: “It bothers me if the government is allowing this to be taught in school; does it not start the radicalisation of these children? Will we see a further increase in crimes, etc, as these children grow up?”
He later insisted he was “not being prejudiced” but was “expressing the concerns of his constituents.”
The comments provoked an immediate rebuke during the session from Labour’s Charnwood Borough Council leader, Cllr Jewel Miah, who said Abbott was “letting his prejudices show.”
Speaking afterwards, Cllr Miah told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) the comments were “unacceptable,” adding: “We should be talking about how we should be making the lives of our constituents better, not peddling comments made from higher up of the Reform party.”
The criticism was echoed across the political spectrum. Conservative opposition leader Cllr Deborah Taylor stated it was “inappropriate to suggest that teaching children to pray in accordance with Muslim practice fosters extremism,” calling the remarks “divisive, deeply concerning, and entirely incompatible with the standards expected of public office.”
Green Party councillor Naomi Bottomley said, “Linking Muslim prayer or the teaching of Islam to crime or extremism is deeply Islamophobic and dangerous… There is no place in public life for rhetoric that stigmatises entire communities.”
A spokesperson for Reform UK defended Cllr Abbott, stating, “Councillor Abbott is absolutely correct: Britain is and remains a Christian country. He speaks on behalf of millions who are rightly alarmed by the rapid, unchecked transformation of our culture and values.”
Cllr Abbott has been contacted by the LDRS for further comment. The incident has sparked a wider debate about community cohesion and the language used by elected officials in one of England’s most diverse counties.
Photo: Councillor Carl Abbott, Leicestershire County Council cabinet member for adult social care suggested that teaching primary school children to pray in the Muslim faith could lead to radicalisation and crime. (Credit: Leicestershire County Council)
