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In an address to the United Nations, former US President Donald Trump asserted that London aims to “go to sharia law”.
Speaking before the UN General Assembly in New York on Tuesday, Trump reiterated his criticism of London Mayor Sadiq Khan and also took aim at UN assistance for asylum seekers.
“I look at London, where you have a terrible mayor, terrible, terrible mayor, and it’s been changed, it’s been so changed,” Trump stated. “Now they want to go to sharia law. But you are in a different country, you can’t do that.”
A spokesperson for Mayor Khan issued a statement in response to Trump’s remarks: “We are not going to dignify his appalling and bigoted comments with a response.”
The spokesperson added, “London is the greatest city in the world, safer than major US cities, and we’re delighted to welcome the record number of US citizens moving here.”
Trump has repeatedly targeted Mayor Khan with criticism since 2015, following the Labour politician’s condemnation of Trump’s proposal to ban Muslims from entering the US.
During a state visit last week, Trump described Mayor Khan as “among the worst mayors in the world” and claimed he had requested that the mayor be excluded from events, including a state banquet hosted by the King at Windsor Castle.
Mayor Khan responded by stating he was “indifferent to President Trump” and had “more important things to worry about”.
Khan did not attend the state banquet, and sources indicate he did not seek or expect an invitation. A source close to the mayor suggested that Trump’s politics fostered “fear and division.”
In 2019, Trump labeled the mayor “a stone-cold loser,” and Khan accused him of promoting far-right politics.
Following President Trump’s latest comments, several London Labour MPs have voiced their support for Mayor Khan.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting asserted that Khan was “not trying to impose sharia law on London” but is “a mayor who marches with Pride, who stands up for difference of background and opinion, who’s focused on improving our transport, our air, our streets, our safety, our choices and chances.”
Rupa Huq, MP for Ealing Central and Acton, characterized Trump’s comments as “blatant bare-faced lies.”
Rosena Allin-Khan, Khan’s successor as MP for Tooting, has called for the US ambassador to be summoned in response to the remarks.
During his speech before the UN General Assembly, President Trump singled out London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan for criticism, claiming: “I look at London, where you have a terrible mayor – terrible, terrible mayor. Now they want to go to Sharia law.”
If Trump is implying here that London – under Sir Sadiq – is moving its legal system to Sharia law, then this is false.
There have been false claims about the implementation of Sharia law in London circulating for years on social media.
In 2020, several posts on Facebook showed an image of Sadiq Khan with a quote saying: “We are trialling shakira [sic] law in three of London’s boroughs right now. We will then roll it out in the remaining thirty next year”.
At the time, the mayor’s office told Reuters news agency that this quote – which misspelled the word sharia – was fabricated.
Sharia law is an Islamic legal system and Sharia councils do exist in the UK – there were an estimated 85 across the UK in 2009, according to one think tank.
Most of their work deals with religious marriage arbitration and they may also rule on financial matters but the UK government has been clear that their rulings are “not legally binding”.
“Ultimately, the only places in our country that deliver legally binding rulings are our courts”, said Justice Secretary Chris Grayling on Sharia councils in 2016.
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