ALBAWABA - VP candidate J.D. Vance sparked fury across the UK following remarks claiming that the UK is turning into an "Islamist state" with the Labour Party taking over the government.
Trump said on Monday that JD Vance, a senator from Ohio, will be his running mate in this year's presidential contest, furthering his campaign following the Republican candidate's assassination attempt over the weekend.
Speaking at the National Conservatism Conference in Washington DC yesterday, Vance described a conversation he had with a friend over which "truly Islamist country" would be the first to obtain access to nuclear weapons.
"Maybe it is Iran, maybe Pakistan already kind of counts, and then we finally decided that it’s actually the UK – since Labour just took over," Vance stated.
Vance told the audience: "American leaders should look out for Americans... and for the Brits, UK leaders should look out for citizens of the UK or subjects or whatever you guys call yourselves".
Since then, a number of political individuals and organizations in the UK have denounced Vance's comments. Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) called Vance's remarks "divisive and dangerous."
The remarks "serve as a stark reminder of how populist, Islamophobic sentiment is used to garner votes," according to Zara Mohammed, Secretary-General of the MCB.
Baroness Sayeeda Warsi, the first Muslim to hold a cabinet position in the United Kingdom criticized Vance's remarks for embodying "the everyday Islamophobia and anti-Muslim racism which is casually thrown around by some of the most powerful in our societies".
