Mo Ansar

Mo Ansar
Born 6 April 1974
Watford, England
Nationality British
Ethnicity British Pakistani
Occupation Voluntary Political commentator
Religion Islam

Mohammed "Mo" Ansar is a political and social commentator.[1] He had previously appeared in many UK media outlets, but was dropped followings allegations that he had been dishonest about his credentials.

Life and career

Ansar worked in banking with Lloyds Banking Group, which he later unsuccessfully sued for racial discrimination.[2]

Whilst chairman of Hampshire Independent Equality Forum, Ansar coordinated the Southampton Flood Relief Campaign for victims of the 2010 Pakistan Floods[3] and participated in a "Question Time-style event" in a Hampshire school.[4] He also says he was a founding chairman of Hampshire Independent Equality Forum.[5]


In November 2015, Ansar led the Southampton University Students Union Islamic Society event[6] Open Muslim Prayers as part of the annual Inter Faith Week "organised by the University of Southampton’s Chaplaincy and the Parkes Institute to promote diversity, celebration, and understanding".[7]

Personal life

Ansar claims to be of mixed Indian and Pakistani heritage.

Ansar said he had studied law in Southampton. In May 2014, journalist and legal blogger Alex Aldridge reported that Ansar's law credentials were called into question by the lawyer and Financial Times legal journalist David Allen Green, who stated that Ansar had "repeatedly and falsely described himself in public as a 'lawyer'".[8]

Media work and journalism

Ansar has made appearances on programmes such as: The Big Questions, Channel 4 News[9] and Moments in Time.[10] He has been a contributor for several news broadcasters including CNN, Al Jazeera, Sky News, and BBC News. His radio appearances include BBC Radio 2 and Radio 4, BBC London and commercial broadcasters such as LBC and TalkSport. He has appeared regularly on satellite channels RT, Press TV, British Muslim TV and the Islam Channel.

However, as predicted by Nick Cohen in his exposé´in The Spectator, "the Russian and Iranian channels may return his calls but apart from that is over"[11] and Ansar has not appeared in the mainstream media since multiple exposés were made in May 2014. Ansar writes a blog called "Ansar’s On a Postcard"[12][13] Ansar has written one article for The Guardian[14] which was published shortly before the BBC documentary Quitting the English Defence League: When Tommy Met Mo aired.[15] In December 2014, Ansar was invited by the Christmas Issue guest co-editor[16] Robin Ince to participate in a discussion with Rabbi Laura Janner-Klausner and Giles Fraser for an article in the New Statesman.[17]

Ansar claims he is a public speaker on the subjects of theology and pedagogy in lunch lessons at the University of Winchester in Hampshire, although he is known to refer to these as lectures, he has no formal qualifications in these areas. Ansar has spoken at the Greenbelt Festival[18] and Cambridge Science Festival,[19] who have both since withdrawn him from future events following very public credibility concerns.

BBC film with the English Defence League

In April 2012, Ansar met then English Defence League leader Tommy Robinson when both men participated in the BBC programme The Big Questions.[20] At Ansar's invitation, they began a dialogue about their opposing views which became the subject of a BBC documentary - 'When Tommy Met Mo'. Ansar purported to be the first Muslim to engage with members of the English Defence League (EDL).[14][20] During the documentary Ansar came under much pressure when challenged on certain moral values and theological principles by Quilliam's Maajid Nawaz. This was a turning point for Robinson. At the end of the documentary, Robinson left the organisation and to Ansar's dismay went on to work with Quilliam (think tank),[21] who he later cited as being the people who facilitated his exit.[22] At the end of the programme, Ansar is shown being barred from the press conference after dropping everything and rushing to London. Robinson stated that he did not want Mo taking any credit for his EDL departure.

Criticism

In May 2014, Ansar was criticised by a number of journalists including radio presenter, Iain Dale, journalist Nick Cohen, journalist Jamie Bartlett and author, Jeremy Duns regarding his views and his conduct.[12] In May 2014, Cohen wrote a critical article about Ansar in The Spectator in which he questioned Ansar's professional credentials, reiterating Dale's view that Ansar had "invented himself as a rent-a-quote commentator"[11] and said Ansar had a Twitter alias account that denigrated those he disagreed with.[11][23] Bartlett wrote that Ansar's "language of tolerance and moderation" belied his stance on homophobia and amputation of limbs in Islamic states and that he had fabricated claims about his professional experience, including a false claim that he was a lawyer.[12] Haras Rafiq, former director of CENTRI, a counter-extremism organisation, called Ansar a "Frankenstein's monster that's been created by the media" who "lies blatantly".[24] Douglas Murray, of the Henry Jackson Society, described him as a "fraudulent faux-moderate" who "makes stuff up", referring to Ansar's claim that Muslims had been trading with Native Americans centuries before Christopher Columbus came to America.[24]

Ansar was questioned on the BBC politics programme The Daily Politics about his debate with Tom Holland over slavery in antiquity during which he said "If slaves are treated justly with no oppression whatsoever, who could possibly object, Tom".[25] Murray accused Ansar of supporting slavery.[26]

After Ansar had fallen out with the leader of counter-extremism think tank, the Quilliam Foundation, Maajid Nawaz, Ansar became a vocal critic and has questioned their influence over UK government policy and strategy.[27]

On 16 December 2015, the Portsmouth comic Joe Wells pulled his show at the New Theatre Royal, saying "We had safety concerns and weren’t able to provide security". Ansar had said it was "potentially unlawful for any of us to pull out when coerced to discriminate". Wells "stood by his decision to pull the show. 'I wasn’t aware of quite how controversial a panellist Mo would be', the comic admitted. 'We’re a silly, whimsical comedy show not equipped for serious controversy'"[28]

Social and political views

Islam and reform

Ansar is a Sunni Muslim following a Sufi tradition and does not follow any particular madhab.

Apostasy

Ansar believes that apostasy in Islam should not be punishable by death. He states it is not applicable in Islam today as it is a matter of personal spirituality distinct from a conflation with state treason in antiquity.[29] However, during questioning by secularist Muslim Maajid Nawaz in the documentary When Tommy Met Mo,[30] Ansar failed to answer if in an ideal Islamic state, with all the sharia conditions being met, if stoning should be a punishment.[31]

Ansar considers Ahmadi Muslims as outside the religion of Islam.[32]

Muslim civil rights

In February 2013, Ansar gave a talk to the Islamic Society of the University of York on ‘Islam in Britain and the Muslim Civil Rights Crisis’.[33] Ansar opened his talk with the claim that Muslims from Africa had colonised the pre-Columbian Americas: "trading and intermarrying with Iroquois and Algonquin Indians".[34] In his opinion article on "Islamophobia and the Muslim Civil Rights Crisis",[35] Ansar claimed that that there existed "a broader societal problem"[35] and "tangible civil rights crisis for Muslim communities – not just within the UK, but throughout the Western world".[35] Ansar outlined an "Islamophobia Test" consisting of five myths and three recognisable behaviours to measure anti-Muslim prejudice and discriminatory behaviour. On Islamophobia in America, Ansar has claimed that there is a "burgeoning industry provoking non-Muslims in Europe and in the US" which is causing a rise in attacks on Muslims and creating social schisms.[36]

Politics

Ansar claims he is a left-wing commentator and social libertarian, whilst holding very conservative views.[27]

Democracy

On the record as supporting democracy and the democratic processes.[37] Ansar is not a proponent of the spread of shariah law governance in the West[38] and advocates the separation of church and state.[38]

Counter-extremism

Ansar reported as having worked with the British government leading on the counter-extremism PREVENT programme[39] and the development of the Channel programme, however no evidence of this actually exists.[5] He has subsequently become an ardent critic of both PREVENT and the government’s counter-extremism policy.[27]

Death threats

On 17 October 2013, several British Muslims including Ansar, who had spoken out against the murder of Lee Rigby, claimed that they were "warned that they could be targeted"[40] and offered police protection following the release of a video by Al-Shabaab which named them as having "mutilated the teachings of Islam".[41] However, on 18 October 2013, Channel 4 News reported that Al Shabaab denied having threatened the lives of any of the Muslims featured in the video and claimed instead that their aim was "to expose anyone who spoke out after the killing in Woolwich as not representative of the truth".[42]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Mohammed Ansar RT Interview". YouTube. 16 November 2015. Retrieved 11 December 2015.
  2. ↑ "United Kingdom Employment Appeal Tribunal".
  3. ↑ "Boost for campaign raising cash for Pakistan flood relief". Daily Echo. 20 September 2010. Retrieved 25 November 2015.
  4. ↑ "Student Question Time is huge success - Portsmouth News". Portsmouth.co.uk. 23 February 2011. Retrieved 11 December 2015.
  5. 1 2 "MILO YIANNOPOULOS - Mo Ansar, the bogus Muslim ‘theologian’ who defends slavery and says Muslims discovered America in AD1000... while claiming benefits and appearing on the BBC". Yiannopoulos.net. 25 August 2011. Retrieved 12 December 2015.
  6. ↑ "Message of unity at event hosted by University of Southampton’s Islamic Society". Daily Echo. 21 November 2015. Retrieved 25 November 2015.
  7. ↑ "Southampton University Interfaith Week". Retrieved 25 December 2015.
  8. ↑ Aldridge (14 May 2014). "Why it's inadvisable to describe yourself as a lawyer on Twitter when you're not". Legal Cheek. Retrieved 25 December 2015.
  9. ↑ "The Woolwich Verdict | Channel 4 News with Mohammed Ansar, Peter Neumann, Baroness Neville-Jones". YouTube. 29 December 2013. Retrieved 11 December 2015.
  10. ↑ "2013 Moments In Time Media Documentary". YouTube. 30 July 2014. Retrieved 11 December 2015.
  11. 1 2 3 Nick Cohen. "How did Mo Ansar become the voice of British Muslims? [Formerly titled "The curious case of Mo Ansar"]".
  12. 1 2 3 Bartlett, Jamie. "Mo Ansar and rise of the bogus social media commentator". The Telegraph.
  13. ↑ "Ansar’s On A Postcard | Mo Ansar.com | The official website of Mohammed Ansar". Moansar.com. Retrieved 11 December 2015.
  14. 1 2 Mohammed Ansar. "Mohammed Ansar: My 18 months with former EDL leader Tommy Robinsons". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 December 2015.
  15. ↑ "Quitting the English Defence League: When Tommy Met Mo". Retrieved 13 December 2015.
  16. ↑ "Brian Cox and Robin Ince to guest-edit the Christmas issue of the New Statesman". New Statesman. Retrieved 13 December 2015.
  17. ↑ Ince, Robin. "What We Believe:". New Statesman. New Statesman: Science & Tech. Retrieved 13 December 2015.
  18. ↑ Mohammed Ansar (24 August 2013). "Mohammed Ansar — Contributors - Greenbelt Festival". Greenbelt.org.uk. Retrieved 11 December 2015.
  19. ↑ "Cambridge Science Festival starts with a bang! | University of Cambridge". Cam.ac.uk. 12 March 2012. Retrieved 11 December 2015.
  20. 1 2 "Quitting the English Defence League: When Tommy Met Mo". BBC. 28 October 2013. Retrieved 15 December 2014.
  21. ↑ "Commentator Mo Ansar's Family Home Searched By Immigration Officials Looking For 'Potential Offender'". Huffingtonpost.co.uk. 16 April 2014. Retrieved 11 December 2015.
  22. ↑ "Tommy Robinson Explains The Making Of An Alter-Ego Even His Wife Can't Stand". The Huffington Post UK. Retrieved 11 December 2015.
  23. ↑ "The dangerous Mr Ansar". JEREMY DUNS. Retrieved 11 December 2015.
  24. 1 2 "Podcast: Race, genes and history, Nick Clegg’s war and the curious case of Mo Ansar". The Spectator. 15 May 2014.
  25. ↑ "Mo Ansar on The Daily Politics 29/10/13 [Edited". YouTube. 12 March 2013. Retrieved 11 December 2015.
  26. ↑ Douglas Murray. "When Tommy met Mo revealed how far we have to travel before Islamism is uprooted". The Spectator. Retrieved 17 December 2015.
  27. 1 2 3 Ansar. "Self-interest, Sycophancy and Strategic Failure - How Britain Lost The War On Muslim Radicalisation". The Huffington Post UK. Retrieved 11 December 2015.
  28. ↑ Jones, Harrison. "Portsmouth show cancelled amid row over Muslim commentator". Portsmouth News. Retrieved 17 December 2015.
  29. ↑ Sarah Morrison (19 January 2014). "Allah vs atheism: ‘Leaving Islam was the hardest thing I’ve done’ | Home News | News". The Independent. Retrieved 11 December 2015.
  30. ↑ "Quitting the English Defence League: When Tommy Met Mo". YouTube. 28 October 2013. Retrieved 12 December 2015.
  31. ↑ "Maajid Nawaz vs. Mo Ansar". YouTube. 20 October 2014. Retrieved 12 December 2015.
  32. ↑ "The Report (12/04/2016) - The murder of Asad Shah". Islam Channel.
  33. ↑ "University of York ISoc Talk". Islamic Society, University of York. Wordpress. Archived from the original on 14 March 2003. Retrieved 13 December 2015.
  34. ↑ "Talk by Mohammed Ansar given to York Isoc". York ISoc Channel. YouTube. Archived from the original on 19 February 2013. Retrieved 13 December 2015.
  35. 1 2 3 "Islamophobia and the Muslim civil rights crisis – Opinion – ABC Religion & Ethics (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)". Abc.net.au. Retrieved 11 December 2015.
  36. ↑ "Massive ‘Islamophobia industry’ flourishes in US — RT Op-Edge". Rt.com. 5 May 2015. Retrieved 11 December 2015.
  37. ↑ "Tariq Ramadan interviews Mo Ansar Islam and Life". YouTube. 1 November 2013. Retrieved 11 December 2015.
  38. 1 2 "The Crisis of Knowledge, ISIS and Terrorism". Mo Ansar.com. Retrieved 11 December 2015.
  39. ↑ "Anti-Semitism in Europe - BBC Radio 4 | Mo Ansar, Ed Kessler, Yaakov Wise". YouTube. 28 December 2013. Retrieved 11 December 2015.
  40. ↑ "UK Muslims warned of militant al-Shabab threat". BBC News. 18 October 2013. Archived from the original on 18 October 2013. Retrieved 13 December 2015.
  41. ↑ "Al Shabaab Video Threatens British Muslims". Sky News. 19 October 2013. Archived from the original on 19 October 2013. Retrieved 13 December 2015.
  42. ↑ "Channel 4 News: Is Al-Shabaab opening a terror front in Britain?". YouTube. 18 October 2013. Retrieved 12 December 2015.
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