Keighley's town mayor quits after backlash over Pride remarks

The mayor of Keighley has resigned after being criticised for describing his attendance at a Pride event as a "lapse in judgement".

In a Facebook post, Mohammed Nazam said his participation had contradicted his "personal religious beliefs".

He was suspended by the Conservative group on Bradford Council once his comments came to light and later announced he would quit as mayor.

In a statement he said he "did not mean any harm to the LGBTQ community".

He said he intended to carry on as an independent councillor, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

In his post, on a page called Keighley Pakistanis, Mr Nazam said: "I wholeheartedly apologise for my participation in the flag-raising ceremony, as it contradicts my personal religious beliefs, as many of you are aware."

He said he had since "personally repented for this error," adding: "Looking back, I realise that I should have respectfully declined the request at the time."

Robbie Moore, Conservative MP for Keighley, who also attended the event on Friday, had called for Mr Nazam to consider his position.

He said: "I've seen comments made by [Mr] Nazam, stating that he feels the need to apologise for his part in the flag-raising ceremony and the need for him to "personally repent for 'his' error" because of religious beliefs.

"The role of the town mayor is to represent everyone within the community and therefore it was deeply disheartening to read the mayor's statement."

Following his suspension, Mr Nazam issued a statement saying he would stand down with "immediate effect".

"By my apology I did not mean any harm to the LGBTQ community," he said.

"My religion teaches respect and tolerance for all and the law of the land. People should have the freedom to express their beliefs and live their lives as they wish to.

"This should apply to all communities and religious beliefs," he added.

David Shaw, chair of Keighley Pride, said Mr Nazam had agreed to a request to be involved in the flag-raising ceremony, as other mayors had done in the past.

"That was very brave of him, but he has to stand by that," he said.

"To retract it in the way that he did is really quite unacceptable. As mayor you need to represent everybody and be inclusive," he added.

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