Current Affairs

London Tory candidate: Ofsted is imposing a ‘homosexual agenda on schools’

May 21 2014
Written by Scott Roberts

An east London Tory candidate has been criticised by the party’s LGBT group for claiming that education watchdog Ofsted is seeking to impose a “homosexual agenda”.

Mufti Shah Sadruddin is standing as a Conservative Party candidate in Newham in tomorrow’s local elections.

His views on homosexuality are already under the spotlight.

PinkNews reported yesterday that Mr Sadruddin had delivered a sermon at the London Muslim Centre in 2012 where he suggested that you couldn’t offend “homosexuals”, “lesbians”, “Jews”, and even animals but that society felt it was permissible to offend the Prophet Mohamad.

In December last year, Mr Sadruddin posted on his Facebook page: “Parents warned about Ofsted imposing homosexual agenda on schools.”

It cites a news article about how Ofsted was seeking to implement new teaching guidance on same-sex relationships.

The post, which at the time of publication was still available to view, featured copied text by Dr A Majid Katme, described as a Muslim Coordinator to SPUC (Society for the Protection of Unborn Children).

SPUC is known for its widespread opposition to LGBT rights and it lobbied against the arrival of same-sex marriage in England and Wales.

Dr Katme said: “OUR MUSLIM CHILDREN WILL LEARN AND PICK UP HOMOSEXUALITY IN SCHOOLS TODAY BECAUSE OF THE FORCED INDOCTRINATION OF HOMOSEXUALITY BY OFSTED???

“Protest/send letter to your MP/Send a letter to the school of your children Watch and find out and make sure that your children are not BRAINWASHED to accept homosexuality or to become homosexuals?

“Please put this worrying new news on your websites, mention it in Friday sermon, send it to all Muslim contacts…”

At the bottom of the post, it appears Mr Sadruddin says: “Pls inform others and make them aware

“May Allah save our Iman and Akhlaaq and of OUR generations to come.”

In response, the Conservative Party’s LGBT group expressed its concern at the language of Mr Sadruddin.

“The Conservative Party believes in equality for all”, LGBTory Chair Colm Howard-Lloyd told PinkNews.co.uk.”

“LGBTory does not support any candidate who places the rights of one group above that of another, and I would urge Mr Sadruddin as a new candidate to think a lot more carefully about how he frames debate on religious freedom.”

Conservative Party Central Office told PinkNews that Mr Sadruddin’s remarks were a matter for the Newham Conservative Association.

PinkNews has approached both the Association and Mr Sadruddin for comment.

Last week, David Cameron promised that he would always deal “robustly” with Tory candidates if they have made offensive views.

The Prime Minister made the comments as he criticised a UKIP donor who claimed gay people are incapable of love.