British Member of Parliament (MP), Bob Seely, took everyone by surprise when he remarked “Inshallah” during an interview with Sky News on Monday.
Ironically, the MP used the Arabic word to celebrate his fellow Conservative Party (also known as the Tories) member Rishi Sunak, a Hindu, being made Prime Minister.
Responding to questions about the future of the British government under Sunak, MP Seely said,
We’ve got to come together, we’ve got to unite, and you know, we are going to. So come next Spring, come next summer, all this in the last few weeks, in the last couple of months, Inshallah, is going to be a distant dream.
People on social media accused the MP of not knowing the difference between Muslims and Hindus. However, some appreciated him for using the term correctly while others questioned if it was the right thing to say given the circumstances.
Here are a few reactions to the MP’s gaffe on Twitter.:
Tory MP randomly saying InshAllah is wild https://t.co/JCTdIQd1ff
— Shehab Khan ITV (@ShehabKhan) October 24, 2022
Bob Seely MP thinking that Rishi Sunak is a Muslim is the most white, male, middle class Tory thing I have ever seen. #ToryRacists
— Regina_Phalange 💙💙🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️🇵🇸 (@GileadsFinest) October 24, 2022
I’m crying Bob Seely defo said that to appease Rishi without realising that Rishi is Hindi and not Muslim 😭
— Toni (@ChelsToni_) October 24, 2022
That was quick… moments after Rishi Sunak is elected Leader of the Conservative party and the UK’s first South Asian Prime Minister, Bob Seely, white English MP for the Isle of Wight, replies to Beth Rigby with ‘Inshallah’ 😅 Who wants to tell him that’s the wrong brown??!
— Sanya Sheikh (@SanyaSheikh) October 24, 2022
Britain’s First Hindu Prime Minister
Rishi Sunak, a former Chancellor under Boris Johnson’s Conservative government, was chosen as the new Prime Minister of the UK on 24 October after Mary Elizabeth Truss resigned from the post. Truss had served as PM for just 44 days, making her the shortest-serving leader in UK history.
Sunak, who is of East African and Indian heritage, comes from a religiously Hindu background. He took the office on the day of Diwali, an important annual festival for Hindus.
What do you think about British MP Bob Seely’s “Inshallah“? Let us know in the comments below.
