British gymnast Louis Smith has taken to Twitter to apologise after a video surfaced online of him and a friend appearing to mock Islam by pretending to pray and shouting "Allahu Akbar".
Smith posted a status on Sunday stating he was "deeply sorry" for the video and that he had "learned a valuable life lesson" from the experience.
The video, which also featured fellow gymnast Luke Carson, was filmed at a wedding in Northamptonshire. Mohammed Shafiq, chief executive of the Ramadan Foundation, told The Sun it was "outrageous somebody can mock any faith" but said it was particularly "unacceptable" for Muslims when "we are facing the problems that we face in this country".
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
He added: "Our faith is not to be mocked, our faith is to be celebrated and I think people will be offended by this."
British Gymnastics, the UK's governing body for the sport, said: "British Gymnastics does not condone the mocking of any faith or religion and is appalled by such behaviours. Gymnastics is an inclusive sport and we are proud of members who portray the inclusive values of British Gymnastics.
"Members who break our code of conduct can face suspension or expulsion from our organisation. We will be investigating the behaviours reported."
Smith has won gymnastics medals at the 2008, 2012 and 2016 Summer Olympics, with the most recent being a silver medal in the pommel horse in Rio de Janeiro this year.
-
Political cartoons for October 27Cartoons Monday's political cartoons include improving national monuments, the NBA gambling scandal, and the AI energy vampire
-
Donald Trump’s week in Asia: can he shift power away from China?Today's Big Question US president’s whirlwind week of diplomacy aims to bolster economic ties and de-escalate trade war with China
-
The Icelandic women’s strike 50 years onIn The Spotlight The nation is ‘still no paradise’ for women, say campaigners
-
Koran burning in Scandinavia: freedom of expression’s ultimate test?Talking Point Anti-Islam demonstrations have sparked condemnation and raised constitutional challenges for Sweden and Denmark
-
Home Office worker accused of spiking mistress’s drink with abortion drugSpeed Read Darren Burke had failed to convince his girlfriend to terminate pregnancy
-
In hock to Moscow: exploring Germany’s woeful energy policySpeed Read Don’t expect Berlin to wean itself off Russian gas any time soon
-
Were Covid restrictions dropped too soon?Speed Read ‘Living with Covid’ is already proving problematic – just look at the travel chaos this week
-
Inclusive Britain: a new strategy for tackling racism in the UKSpeed Read Government has revealed action plan setting out 74 steps that ministers will take
-
Sandy Hook families vs. Remington: a small victory over the gunmakersSpeed Read Last week the families settled a lawsuit for $73m against the manufacturer
-
Farmers vs. walkers: the battle over ‘Britain’s green and pleasant land’Speed Read Updated Countryside Code tells farmers: ‘be nice, say hello, share the space’
-
The Week Unwrapped: French symbols, pay rises and springpodcast Is France about to take an illiberal turn? Is it a bad thing if we all earn more? And is winter coming to a premature end?
