'Not British Enough': Far-right launches racist campaign against Hijab-wearing UK mayor

The newly appointed mayor of a northern English town has been targeted by a racist disinformation campaign on social media by members of the far-right, attacking her for religious beliefs and questioning her abilities to take on the post.

Councillor Rukhsana Ismail, who wears the Islamic hijab and is of Pakistani heritage, was named mayor of Rotherham, South Yorkshire, on 16 May and is set to serve during the 2025–2026 civic year.

Councillor Ismail has an extensive background in public service and the charity sector, having worked in schools, police services, and non-profit organisations.

Her appointment as mayor, however, has subjected her to racist vitriol on X from numerous far-right accounts and trolls, who have used the social media platform to accuse her of being "fanatical about Islam", "unable" to speak English and that a "new legislation was needed to ensure that only "English people" were allowed to occupy such posts.

Most search results for her name on social media platforms are flooded with racist, Islamophobic remarks and far-right conspiracy theories.

Far-right accounts have specifically spread a video of the Sheffield-born Councillor speaking in Urdu, where she talks about being proud to represent the Pakistani-Kashmiri community and hijab-wearing Muslim women, as she set to take on her new role as mayor for the South Yorkshire town.

Such accounts have posted the clip to spread claims that the Councillor delivered her maiden speech in Urdu or that she favours the South Asian language over English.

Councillor Ismail was clearly speaking to Pakistani media in the clip, which explains her use of Urdu. A news ticker in the same language is visible, and she is speaking into a microphone held by what appears to be a reporter.

She delivered her maiden speech in English in a separate video uploaded to social media, but it received far less circulation than the Urdu-language clip.

In the clip, the mayor is surrounded by her family, many of whom wear the hijab. Far-right social media accounts seized on the footage to parrot conspiracy theories about "replacement" and even called for remigration, accusing her of pledging allegiance to Pakistan and Islam instead of focusing on local issues in South Yorkshire.

Throughout her career, Councillor Ismail has worked on issues including violence and abuse in minority communities, human trafficking, and modern slavery, through various charities across the country.

Far-right trolling of Councillor Ismail extended beyond English-speaking accounts, with similar vitriol appearing in German, Spanish, and French. Posts claimed that "the UK had fallen" and urged European nations to resist the so-called "Islamisation" of their countries.

Among them is the French far-right website Fdesouche, known for spreading misinformation, disinformation, and Islamophobic content.

Jean Messiha, a French-Egyptian economist and spokesperson for Eric Zemmour’s far-right Reconquête party, also chimed in.

In his post on X, Messiha implied that Councillor Ismail didn’t represent "the archetypal" British woman, given her faith and wearing a headscarf.

"So British…," he said sarcastically.

Alessandro Morelli, an Italian senator and member of Matteo Salvini’s anti-immigration, right-wing populist Lega party, spread a claim that Councillor Ismail’s inauguration ceremony was "Islamic" simply due to her appearance.

A spokesperson for the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) told The New Arab it was "not surprised or shocked by the far-right trolling and disinformation campaign" targeting Councillor Ismail following her appointment as Lord Mayor.

"The social media abuse directed at her is rooted in racism, Islamophobia and misogyny which is a triple stark reminder of the hostility faced by Muslim women in public life. Social media platforms, particularly X, have become increasingly a cesspit of hate speech and conspiracy theories, emboldening such attacks," the spokesperson said.

Non-existent Rotherham grooming gang link

Most of the far-right accounts also attempted to correlate the Rotherham grooming gang scandal with Councillor Ismail’s nomination, simply due to the shared ethnicity of most of the perpetrators and the mayor.

Many expressed faux-outrage over Rotherham nominating the Lord Mayor in the same city where the decades-long sexual abuse scandal occurred.

One far-right account, which goes by the name of Amy Mek, said that Councillor Ismail’s nomination was a "slap in the face" to the victims of Rotherham gangs' sexual abuse, as she "shares the same ethnicity and religious background" as the perpetrators.

Mek is the founder of the RAIR Foundation, a far-right conspiracy theory website, and is known for sharing Islamophobic content on X. Her account has been banned in France and Germany.

Some of Mek’s posts have been endorsed by US President Donald and Tesla billionaire Elon Musk, both have been accused of peddling far-right conspiracy theories and racist views.

One other far-right conspiracy account called "Concerned Citizen" which boasts nearly one million followers, claimed the Lord Mayor wouldn’t get "tough" on grooming gangs, wrongfully claiming she was sympathetic to the perpetrators behind the scandal.

Another account shamelessly said that grooming gangs in Rotherham "can breathe easy now".

Even a congratulatory post by Rotherham’s MP Sarah Champion summoned replies from far-right trolls, falsely associating Mayor Ismail with the grooming gang scandal, and accusing the Labour MP of being "an Islamist" for supporting her.

In a statement to The New Arab, Green Lane Masjid and Community Centre (GLMCC) said the incident surrounding Mayor Rukhsana Ismail "underscores the persistent issue" that far-right individuals have with Muslim representation in public office.

"This deliberate attempt to smear her character reflects a broader effort to incite irrational fear and mistrust of Muslims and ethnic minorities in the UK," GLMCC said, describing such incidents as a dangerous path "attempting to hold society back from inclusive progression and tolerance".

The incident surrounding Councillor Ismail reflects a pattern in which Muslims holding positions of power are often met with racism and Islamophobia online, from the public or even their peers.

Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London since 2016, has often borne the brunt of such. In 2024 alone, around 28,000 social media posts on Khan contained Islamophobic language. Between January and March this year, Khan was mentioned in 2,180 Islamophobic posts, mostly on X, according to The Guardian.

Rakhia Ismail, the first hijab-wearing mayor in the UK, resigned from her post in Islington in September 2020, citing discrimination and feeling she had no voice among her peers.

Both the MCB  and GLMCC said UK government leaders need to take urgent action to put out the flames of racist language on social media, and more regulation to tackle online hate is needed. 

"But is there any willpower from our elected officials to do this?".