Anglican Bishop Calls Mass Islamic Prayer at Trafalgar Square Nothing Sinister as Britains Christian Identity Crumbles

Anglican Bishop Says Mass Islamic Prayer at Trafalgar Square Is 'Nothing Sinister' as Christians Demand Answers

Bishop Arun Arora, who has served as Bishop of Kirkstall in the Diocese of Leeds since 2022, penned an op ed for The Telegraph on March 20 defending the mass Islamic prayer that took place at London's Trafalgar Square during a public Open Iftar event on March 16.

Thousands of Muslim worshippers gathered at the iconic civic square for the event, which was openly supported by London Mayor Sadiq Khan's administration. The Islamic call to prayer, the adhan, echoed across the square as worshippers knelt in unison before the National Gallery.

Arora dismissed concerns that the public Muslim prayers were a symbolic act of conquest, comparing them to the annual Remembrance Day Christian services. He wrote that when considering "the unedifying political furor about the open iftar held in Trafalgar Square," there was nothing alarming about Muslim devotion in a public space.

In Leeds, where I have the honor of leading the service alongside the Roman Catholic dean, we have similar expressions of public devotion.

Shadow Lord Chancellor Nick Timothy sharply disagreed. He posted on X that "mass ritual prayer in public places is an act" of domination, adding that the adhan "is, when called in a public place, a declaration of domination."

Traditionalist Anglican Bishop Ceirion H. Dewar published an open letter to King Charles III on March 17, writing that "the issue before us is not nostalgia. It is civilization." He warned: "Remove Christianity from the story of Britain and you do not create a neutral society."

Former chaplain to Queen Elizabeth II, Gavin Ashenden, who left the Church of England in 2017 after protesting Quran readings at St. Mary's Cathedral in Glasgow, also weighed in. Speaking to GB News on March 22, Ashenden criticized Prince William's recent comments on faith, calling them "a bit insulting" and describing the prince as "a really sweet man with sort of vacant ideas about God."

If you're a passionate Christian, frankly, it's insulting.

The Open Iftar event was organised by the Ramadan Tent Project, which hosts public iftars throughout Ramadan at well known locations across the UK. Over 3,000 people from all faiths attended.

Bishop Defends Public Islamic Prayer in Trafalgar Square While British Christians Sound the Alarm

The debate has exposed a deep fracture within the Anglican Communion and British society at large. While Arora insists public prayer of any faith is welcome, critics argue the event represents a one sided tolerance that would never be extended to Christians in Muslim majority nations.

The controversy comes at a time when the Anglican Communion is already fracturing globally over issues of sexuality and gender. Dame Sarah Mullally is set to be installed as the first female Archbishop of Canterbury, adding further tension to an already divided institution.

The Crusader's Opinion

Let me ask you a simple question: try holding a public Christian prayer service in Mecca, in Riyadh, in Islamabad. Try erecting a cross in a public square in Kabul. You would be arrested. You might be killed. And yet in the heart of London, at the foot of Nelson's Column, thousands kneel for Islamic prayers and an Anglican bishop calls it "nothing sinister."

This is not tolerance. This is surrender. When a bishop of the Church of England cannot distinguish between defending the faith and dismantling it, something has gone terribly wrong. Bishop Ashenden is right. Britain was built on the foundation of Christ, not on the foundation of appeasement. Remove that foundation and you do not get a neutral society. You get a conquered one.

Take Action

• Write to your local Anglican bishop and ask them directly: do they support the public Islamization of British civic spaces? Demand a clear answer.
• Support The Shepherd's Shield to help protect persecuted Christians around the world who cannot pray freely in their own countries.
• Support Open Doors UK, which serves persecuted Christians in over 70 countries where public Christian worship is banned or punished.
• Share this story on social media and ask the question: "Would this be allowed for Christians in a Muslim country?"
• Contact your Member of Parliament and urge them to defend Britain's Christian heritage and ensure equal treatment for all faiths in public spaces. Find your MP at members.parliament.uk.