A Conservative mayor has resigned after being labelled homophobic when he apologised for attending a council LGBTQ+ Pride event because it “contradicts” his beliefs.
Mohammed Nazam, the mayor of Keighley in West Yorkshire, faced anger after posting in a Facebook group that it was a “lapse of judgment” to attend the raising of a progress flag on Friday as part of the town’s Pride month celebrations.
In the post, he said he “wholeheartedly apologised” for attending the ceremony as it “contradicts my personal religious beliefs”. He added: “I want to emphasise that I have also personally repented for this error and reflected deeply on the consequences of my actions.”
The post received a backlash from Keighley residents, who described the comments as “appalling” and “unbelievable”.
On Monday, Nazam – who has been in the post less than a month – was suspended from the local Conservative party after a number of complaints, and resigned hours later.
In a statement following his resignation, he said he had meant no harm to LGBTQ+ people but refused to back down, saying “all elected Muslim representatives” would have needed to apologise to the Muslim community for attending such an event.
He said: “I attended the flag raising for LGBTQ community. This did not conform to my religious beliefs and hence I offered an apology to the Muslim community. All elected Muslim representatives would be in the same position.
“By my apology I did not mean any harm to the LGBTQ community. My religion teaches respect and tolerance for all and the law of the land.
“Here in the UK we are proud to have our freedom of expression. People should have the freedom to express their beliefs and live their lives as they wish to. This should apply to all communities and religious beliefs.”
His initial comments were criticised as “not the most helpful action to heal the abuse” that LGBTQ+ Muslims suffer.
Ahead of his resignation, Helen Hallam, from Oakworth, a trustee of Out in the Valley LGBTQ+ group, said she was “bewildered” by the comments. She added: “Mr Mayor, we live in a secular society and have a diverse community. If this is not to your liking, why accept the honour of being town mayor? In my humble opinion you should resign forthwith.
“Our town has worked hard to achieve an integrated community. In Keighley we have a number of gay and lesbian people of Muslim heritage and the situation is never easy for them. The mayor’s apology is not the most helpful action to heal the abuse they suffer.”
Some of the criticism came from within his own party. Robbie Moore, the Tory MP for Keighley, said he disagreed with the comments and had been “exceptionally proud” to take part in the flag-raising event. He said: “I am proud we live in a country where people can be who they want to be and are free to choose who they love.
“The role of the town mayor is to represent everyone within the community, and therefore it was deeply disheartening to read the mayor’s statement.”
