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Mufti Shah Sadruddin, a senior Muslim scholar, made the comments in 2013 and they have now been uncovered by a new ITV documentary. The documentary shows Mr Sadruddin, a leading religious figure in the Jamaat-e-Ulama UK, or Council of Muslim Scholars in the UK, and in the British Bangladeshi community, criticising atheists who he said had insulted Islam, in particular a Bangladeshi blogger. Mr Sadruddin, who now runs the Al-Ashraaf Secondary School in Ilford, said: “He said: “He is a bastard, a traitor and a shameless person. Child of a hypocrite, he swore at my Prophet. “This son of a bastard is challenging us!

ITV/ EXPOSURE Mufti Shah Sadruddi said made the comments at a rally in 2013

No son of a bastard will remain alive after swearing at my Prophet Mufti Shah Sadruddin in 2013

“O’ Bangla’s scholars, O’ Bangla’s Muslims, wake up. No son of a bastard will remain alive after swearing at my Prophet!” The comments were made at a rally held in the wake of the death of another Bangladeshi blogger Ahmed Rajib Haider, who made jokes about Islamic beliefs and took part in protests calling for the execution of convicted Islamist war criminals. At similar rallies in Bangladesh at the time, Islamists were using the term ‘atheist’ to attack the secular government and the protesters.

EXPOSURE/ ITV Mufti Shah Sadruddin, a senior Muslim scholar, made the comments in 2013

EXPOSURE/ ITV Mr Sadruddin said in the 2013 "No son of a bastard will remain alive after swearing at my Prophet"

Mr Sadruddin, the rector of a secondary school, ran for election as a Conservative councillor, portraying himself as liberal, tolerant and opposed to hatred. He failed to win his seat in Newham in 2014’s local elections. In a video filmed in the run-up to the Newham election, he said: “I believe in equality, in fairness, I believe in loving the human race and I hate to hate anybody.” When approached by Exposuree: Islam’s Non-Believers, which airs on ITV tonight at 10.40pm, Mr Sadruddin said that his speeches did not incite hatred, there was no intention to promote violence and he had specifically said "our jihad will be non-violent".

EXPOSURE/ ITV Mr Sadruddin was speaking at a rally after the death of Bangladeshi blogger Ahmed Rajib Haider

A Conservative spokesman said: “He is no longer a member of the party.” Exposure: Islam’s Non-Believers investigates the lives of ex-Muslims, who face extreme discrimination, ostracism, psychological abuse and violence as a result of leaving Islam. Some are at risk of suicide, or self-harm, or have been physically and psychologically abused by their closest family members. Most are terrified of being shunned by their own family and friends if their true beliefs become known. Some of those who speak in the programme have asked to remain anonymous for fear of reprisals.

YOUTUBE Mufti Shah Sadruddin ran as a Conservative council candidate in 2014

The film follows the Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain, a volunteer support groupwhich supports ex-Muslims, often referred to as apostates or unbelievers, both in the UK and abroad. Dr Omer El-Hamdoon from the Muslim Association of Britain says people can leave the religion of their own free will and should not be punished. But he says it is not surprising that those who do leave are shunned. He said: “The Muslim community is a community based on religion, so if a person chooses to stop being a Muslim they can’t really expect that the Muslim community is still going to say to them, ‘You are still part of our community.’” The programme also reports on how the danger for ex-Muslims who live in Islamic countries can be even higher. Apostasy carries the death penalty in a dozen Islamic countries.

Ramadan Festival 2016 Wed, July 6, 2016 As Ramadan begins Muslims around the world will endure 33 days of fasting from sunrise to sunset to mark the Islamic holy month. Play slideshow AFP/Getty Images 1 of 19 A Palestinian woman prays in front of the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem's Al-Asqa mosque compound during the first Friday prayers of the holy Muslim fasting month of Ramadan