I’M MORE BRITISH THAN UKIP: AMIR KHAN

London, 25 Jumadal Akhir 1436/14 April 2015 (MINA) – British Muslim boxing champ Amir Khan said that he is probably more British than UK Independence Party (UKip) because he fought for his country at the Olympic Games.

“I’ve got nothing but a lot of love here from a lot of people,” Amir Khan said, On Islam quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA) as reporting.

“But maybe it’s because I’m probably more British than UKIP are because I represented the country in the Olympic Games.

“I also fight for the country and I’ve won medals and titles for the UK. So I’m more British than them.”

Khan stated in answer to a question about his feeling as Ukip gains more ground in his home town of Bolton while trying to impose an anti-immigration agenda.

The Muslim boxer has also called on British Muslims to stand against extremism, saying that youth who join fighting overseas are brainwashed.

“People are brainwashing them. Kids don’t grow up thinking about going out and killing innocent people. It’s why I go to schools and tell them: ‘Look, you want to follow the right path. You want to represent your country in a good way. You want to build a name for yourself and your families’.

“Obviously innocent people shouldn’t be killed. Obviously this is wrong,” he continued.

His anti-extremism remarks followed reports that three schoolgirls from east London fled to join fighters in the Middle East.

Khan’s comments came just days after a Sky News British Muslims Poll found that 40% of British Muslims partly blame police and MI5 for radicalizing young people, amid a surge in the number of youth traveling to fight alongside extremist groups overseas.

The British government claims that up to 600 Britons have traveled abroad to take part in fighting in Syria and that at least 218 have returned to the UK.

Khan became the WBA World light-welterweight champion on 18 July 2009, becoming Britain’s third-youngest world champion after Naseem Hamed and Herbie Hide.

The former Commonwealth lightweight champion also previously held the WBO Inter-Continental lightweight and WBA International lightweight championships.

Khan was also awarded a lightweight silver medal at the 2004 Athens Olympics. (T/P006/R04)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)