A Theresa May appointee who was charged to act as adviser to the government on combating Islamophobia has been sacked by the UK government over his role in arguing for an inflammatory movie to be removed from cinema screens. The Leeds-based Imam Qari Asim was dismissed in a public letter from the UK's Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DHLUC), informing him that he had been removed from his roles as an independent adviser and deputy chairman of the government’s Anti-Muslim Hatred Working Group. The department headed by the veteran cabinet minister Michael Gove acted on messages written to supporters about the <i>Lady of Heaven</i> film, which has been taken off screens in the UK. The film is highly controversial and many Muslims consider it offensive, particularly as it misrepresents developments in the early days of Islam. Morocco, Iran and Pakistan are among the countries that have banned it. The DHLUC said Mr Asim was working to shut down screenings and quoted from some of his posts: “We have been working with many brothers and Imams across the country to liaise with the cinemas … Some Imams have taken a view to protest and others are in dialogue with the cinemas trying to resolve the situation”. “Resolving the situation, as you made clear, meant cancelling screenings. You wrote that 'in some places we have been successful and those cinemas will no longer be showing the movie'. Your support for further action was made clear. You advertised 'a protest [that] has been organised in Leeds' and provided details of its timing and location. This clear involvement in a campaign to limit free expression is incompatible with the role of a government adviser,” the letter said. Cineworld removed screenings after protests outside its cinemas, particularly in the north of England. Another large chain Vue is not showing the new release. Mr Asim said the contention made in the DHLUC’s letter that he had acted to undermine democratic values or spread community tension and religious hatred was “inaccurate”. In his own letter to Mr Gove, he said he did not “personally attend or organise any protests outside any cinemas” regarding the film, adding that his “strong preference is always dialogue”. “I did, however, support people’s democratic right to protest in the spirit of free speech,” he said. A government representative said the decision to push out Mr Asim, who was appointed by Mrs May a day before she left office, drew a line under the matter. “Mr Asim’s government roles, including as an independent adviser, have been withdrawn with immediate effect,” a spokesman said. “This government is firmly committed to tackling the unacceptable scourge of anti-Muslim hatred and promoting community cohesion, while standing up for the values that define our country — including freedom of speech and expression, freedom of worship and belief, democracy, the rule of law, and equal rights.”
