Zara Mohammed, the outgoing secretary general of the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) and the first woman to hold the position, expressed concern about the influence of Elon Musk amid increasing Islamophobia. She described the current period as "deeply challenging" for the Muslim community in the UK.

Musk, the billionaire owner of X, Tesla, and SpaceX, is a close associate of Donald Trump, who is set to begin his second term as U.S. president on Monday. Musk is expected to play a significant role in the upcoming U.S. administration and has been making contentious comments about UK politics, including pressuring Sir Keir Starmer to initiate an investigation into grooming gangs.

As she prepares to conclude her four-year tenure with the MCB, Mohammed highlighted the troubling trend of far-right figures becoming normalized in public discourse.

Asked how young British Muslims were feeling, she said: “I think it’s a deeply challenging time. Many Muslims in particular are kind of staying away from X and certain social media platforms.

“It’s so hostile. It’s so disgusting I would say, the kind of vitriol we’re seeing. The smearing of, whether it’s Pakistani communities or Muslim communities, you know.

“Using child grooming to, again, politicise and actually make one community look really barbaric.

“I think we’re worried about the influence of Musk. We’re worried about the kind of normalisation of figures on the far-Right, particularly the Tommy Robinsons and even Nigel Farage, which just always veer away from the illegal, you know, just on the borderline.

“But Tommy’s obviously been very vocal about his sentiment and feeling. The anti-immigrant rhetoric, anti-refugee rhetoric, and growing Islamophobia.

“So I think these are going to be the biggest challenges in 2025 and I think with the Trump election, we’ll wait to see how much more that’s emboldened [those on the far-Right].”

Ms Mohammed said that while the conflict in the Middle East had been “very polarising”, it was the riots last summer after the Southport stabbings which were perhaps the hardest period of her leadership.

Ms Mohammed said the current climate is one in which there is a particular need for “meaningful partnerships” between the Government and organisations like the MCB.

Ties with the organisation were first cut under Labour in 2009, over a reported declaration of support by a then-senior figure in the MCB for Hamas.

They were restored the following year after the MCB stated its opposition to violence, but more recently both the Conservative and Labour administrations have refused to engage with the organisation.

Ms Mohammed said that while the MCB has had “our fair share of history”, they do not advocate for any “negative” views, saying they are democratically run, with elections, a code of conduct, protocols “and a lot of scrutiny”.

She added: “For me, I think particularly again after the riots, and again after the constant increase in Islamophobia and hate crime, this new Government, I hope, will change its approach.

“I think it’s a disservice to future generations. You know, this Government shouldn’t let down the future of young British Muslims.”

A Government spokesman declined to comment on the specific reasons for current non-engagement.

They said: “All forms of religious and racial hatred have absolutely no place in our society.

“The Government engages regularly with faith communities to foster strong working relationships and we are exploring a more integrated and cohesive approach to tackling racial and religious hatred, including Islamophobia.