The accusation comes from the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) which wrote a letter to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, the Chancellor of the Exchequer and opposition leaders in which they do not accuse banks of discrimination, but stress that there is a pattern recurring closure of accounts “without due transparency”.
According to the organization, this practice persisted for the past decade without any significant action by successive British governments.
“We need to understand the mechanisms behind bank account closures and why Muslims are disproportionately affected by this problem. We want to ensure fair treatment for everyone and equal access to financial services,” said Zara Mohammed, MCB Secretary General.
The concern arises in a context in which the so-called “unbanking” gained relevance, especially after the incident involving Nigel Farage, former leader of the far-right nationalist party UKIP and now a television presenter.
Farage, one of the visible faces in the campaign in favor of the island’s exit from the European Union (EU), attributed the closure of his account by a private bank to his political opinions.
The dispute led to the resignation of the executive directors of the accused financial institution and the case culminated in the offer to reinstate their accounts and compensation.
In that framework, the MCB letter emphasizes the need for a comprehensive review that examines internal decisions that lead to account closures and denial of services.
It also calls for the protection of banking rights, regardless of religious, cultural or political background.
Recently, the businesswoman and aspiring representative Gina Miller expressed her concern about the closure of an account of her political party “True and Fair.”
The leader, known for questioning the government’s handling of Brexit, was told the account would be closed in September without giving an explanation.
However, Monzo Bank, the accused entity, later confirmed that they did not allow political party accounts and that the decision to open them had been a mistake.
2023-08-01 17:05:26
#banks #accused #closing #Muslim #accounts
