Death threats to UK's top Muslim MP who voted for gay marriage

Police have told Sadiq Khan he should review the security around him and his family following the Commons vote

Officers in his Tooting constituency in London have been put on high alert

Khan was among 400 MPs, five Muslim, who voted in favour of the bill

Sadiq Khan, Labour's Shadow Justice Secretary, has received death threats after voting in favour of gay marriage

Britain's most senior Muslim MP has received death threats after voting in favour of gay marriage.

Police have told Sadiq Khan, Labour’s Shadow Justice Secretary, that the threats are credible enough that he should review the security around him and his family following the Commons vote.

Officers in his Tooting constituency in London have been put on high alert, and will respond ‘extra-quick’ should an incident be reported at his home.



The Metropolitan Police has also advised Mr Khan, 42, that they may put more officers around him if further threats are made.

He told one friend he was especially concerned about those close to him, saying: ‘My family do not need to suffer for what I have to do for my job.

'I’ve not had threats like this before.’

Mr Khan was among 400 MPs, five of them Muslim, who voted in favour of the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill at the beginning of this month.



It is believed Mr Khan, who was campaign manager for Ed Miliband’s successful leadership bid, has been singled out as he is the most prominent Muslim MP.

Mr Khan – who became Britain’s first Muslim Minister to attend Cabinet in the last Government – has been condemned by British-based hardline clerics, who have accused him of ‘selling out’ his religion.

Mufti Muhammed Aslam Naqshbandi Bandhalevi, who is the head imam of the Jamia Islamia Rizvia mosque in Bradford, has issued a fatwa, or ruling, declaring Mr Khan an ‘apostate’ from Islam and said he should ‘repent before Allah’.

Some veiled threats against all the Muslim MPs who backed gay marriage are visible online.



On the British-based extremist website Islamic Awakening, a member with the name Riaz77 posted about the vote: ‘And what is anybody going to do about this? Scream and shout it’s haram [unlawful] to vote, so end up letting kaafirs [infidels] and munafiqun [hypocrites] who vote Labour as usual re-electing them in 2015, combined with a lack of courage to defeat them with a bullet?’

Mufti Muhammed Aslam Naqshbandi Bandhalevi, head imam of the Jamia Islamia Rizvia mosque in Bradford, has issued a fatwa, or ruling, declaring Mr Khan an 'apostate' from Islam

Another website, called Izharudeen.com, warns: ‘Time to account these apostate MPs, they changed something that Allah made haram to halal [lawful] by voting for gay marriages.’

Security sources have said that when extremists declare a fellow Muslim ‘apostate’, it is usually a way of legitimising violent attacks on them.

But moderate Muslim groups have condemned the threats.

Inayat Bunglawala, of Muslims4UK, said: ‘It is deeply worrying to see that Sadiq Khan has been subjected to these sinister threats.

‘He is a working-class Muslim from South London who has done well.