Dear Editor,
I write in response to recent comments by Nick Timothy MP regarding congregational prayers by some Muslims in Trafalgar Square, which he described as an “act of domination.”
As a British Muslim woman, I find the suggestion that visible expressions of faith are somehow “against British values” deeply troubling.
Respect for diversity, freedom of religion, and a commitment to tolerance are at the heart of what it means to live here. We are explicitly taught that intolerance has no place in British society. It is hard to understand, then, why Muslim practices are so often singled out as “un-British.”
I pay my taxes, take part in elections, show up to community events, clean my street, and plant trees in my neighbourhood. I follow the laws of this country not just out of obligation, but out of respect. I cheer alongside everyone else when our athletes represent us on the world stage, whether in football or the Olympics. In those moments, we are united.
So how can it be that someone can do all of this and still have their loyalty questioned simply for practising their faith openly?
Our leaders should be embodying the very values they speak of, not weakening them in ways that risk deepening the cracks already beginning to show in our social fabric.
I am proud to be British, but my Muslim identity cannot be separated from that. Inclusion cannot be selective, and tolerance should not come with conditions.
Faryal Janood Nasir
Friends of Bylines Network
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