Tory leadership contender and Foreign and Commonwealth Secretary Jeremy Hunt stood to attention for the Islamic call to prayer at a Ramadan feast in Whitehall on May 23rd.
The Remain voter, who will become Prime Minister if he wins to contest to succeed Theresa May as Conservative Party leader, stood for the call to prayer at an Iftar — a sunset feast at which Muslims break their Ramadan fasts — alongside junior minister Tariq Ahmad, also known as the Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon.
“Proud to co-host an Iftar [at the Foreign Office] with [Tariq Ahmad],” the Foreign Secretary posted on Twitter.
“Britain’s Muslim communities make an invaluable contribution to our national life. Ramadan Mubarak to those celebrating in the UK and around the world.”
A video of the prayer was posted to the microblogging social media platform by Fawaz Al Khalifa, the Bahraini regime’s ambassador to the United Kingdom.
“The voice of the call to prayer rings in the foreign ministry during the iftar ceremony of [Jeremy Hunt] the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Lord [Tariq Ahmad] Minister of State and Special envoy for freedom of religion” he commented in Arabic, roughly translated.
The gathering was addressed by Qari Asim, imam of Leeds Mosque and chairman of the Mosque and Imam National Advisory Board (MINAB).
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has been embracing Islamic cultural practices with enthusiasm for some time, sending out a circular, shown above, inviting people to come to its India Office Council Chamber in London to “try on a Hijab” for World Hijab Day 2018, suggesting that “Many find liberation, respect and security through wearing it #StrongInHijab” [sic].
Curiously, the FCO’s press office was reluctant to discuss the event took place when Breitbart London queried it, putting off issuing a comment 15 times over a period of several days before finally confirming: “This was an internal event for staff in London who wished to gain a better understanding of the different cultural and social issues they may face when working overseas.”
The event was controversial, insofar as it took place around the same time as significant protests against the veil in the Islamic Republic of Iran, where women are forced to wear it.