Muslim chair of Reform UK faces storm of racist abuse from party supporters

Zia Yusuf, the chairman of the right-wing Reform UK party and a Muslim, has been subjected to a barrage of racist and Islamophobic attacks after the party suspended MP Rupert Lowe. This incident has raised public concerns about internal conflicts and racial discrimination issues within the Reform UK party.

Reform UK, an anti-immigration party often topping political polls, is considered a major threat to the Conservative Party. In a statement, the party accused Lowe of threatening Yusuf with physical violence and has reported the matter to the police. Additionally, Reform UK stated that Lowe is also facing bullying allegations from two women who previously worked for him. The day before, Lowe, former chairman of Southampton Football Club, questioned Nigel Farage's leadership in an interview with the Daily Mail.

Lowe has strongly denied the allegations, claiming they are politically motivated. Yusuf, a Muslim millionaire, became Reform UK's largest donor shortly before the July 2024 election. In the following days, he suffered a torrent of racist and Islamophobic abuse online, much of which appeared to come from social media users supporting Reform UK.

In recent years, Lowe has taken a more hardline stance on immigration and Islamic issues than party leader Farage. Farage stated in a podcast last year that he did not want to "alienate the entire Islamic world," which was met with strong criticism from many Reform UK members. Yusuf himself has insisted that he is a "British Muslim patriot" and believes that most Muslims in Britain are as well. In contrast, Lowe has frequently called for mass deportations of immigrants and insisted that Palestinian asylum seekers should not be allowed into the UK. He has also advocated for a ban on halal slaughter.

A baseless far-right conspiracy theory has circulated on X, accusing Yusuf of plotting to oust Lowe because of his hardline stance on immigration and Islamic issues. Some have also suggested that Yusuf is planning to sabotage Reform UK from within. Far-right commentator Laurence Fox stated in a post: "Britain cannot have an effective opposition party with Zia Yusuf in it. A party centered on Britain cannot have a Mohammedan as chairman." Many users referred to Yusuf by his full name, Muhammad Zia Yusuf, seemingly intending to emphasize his Muslim identity. These remarks reflect the deep divisions within Reform UK on immigration and religious issues, as well as the social controversies they have ignited.

Yusuf's parents immigrated to the UK from Sri Lanka in the 1980s and worked in the National Health Service (NHS). He was born in Scotland and attended Hampton School, a fee-paying school in Middlesex, on a 50% scholarship. Yusuf told The Daily Telegraph: "My parents came here legally. When I talk to my friends, they are just as angry as anyone else about illegal Channel crossings, which is an insult to all hard-working Britons, especially to immigrants who have followed the rules and come here legally."

Yusuf worked as an investment banker at Goldman Sachs before resigning to found Velocity Black, a luxury concierge app, which he sold for over £30 million in 2023. Yusuf told The Guardian last year that Reform UK does not welcome racists. He stated that he joined the party because British values are "worth protecting." In recent years, even as Reform UK has soared in the polls, the party leadership has faced pressure to take a tougher stance on hot-button issues such as sexual assault gangs, on which Lowe has been particularly outspoken. X's billionaire owner Elon Musk was rumored to be considering donating to Reform UK, but in January he caused a stir by saying that Farage was not fit to be leader because he opposed far-right anti-Islam activist Tommy Robinson. Musk implied that Lowe would be a better leader. Many Reform UK supporters generally believe that Farage has recently softened his rhetoric to make Reform UK more palatable as a mainstream British party. Lowe himself has accused Farage of being soft on immigration. Farage has made a series of statements in the past that have led to accusations of Islamophobia. He has since stated his opposition to the wholesale demonization of Muslims, although other politicians within Reform UK hold different views.

Farage stated in a right-wing podcast: "If we politically alienate the entire Islamic world, we will fail." He cited the rapid growth of the Muslim population in the UK. He said, "We must do everything we can" to get the majority of British Muslims "on side." This is a message that many in his party disagree with. The internal war within Reform UK is unlikely to end soon.