Muslim faith leaders back pope following war of words with Trump
Leo XIV said Donald Trump’s threats against Iran were ‘unacceptable’, prompting the president to call the leader of the global Catholic church ‘weak’
Muslim faith leaders in the UK and Europe have backed the pope following his public spat with Donald Trump over the US attack on Iran, arguing that faith leaders have a duty to challenge injustice and inequality.
It comes after the head of the Catholic church condemned world leaders who take their countries into war, saying that Trump’s threat against Iranian civilisation was “unacceptable” and that a “delusion of omnipotence” was fuelling the war.
It is estimated that thousands have been killed across the Middle East since the US and Israel launched strikes on Iran on 28 February.
Trump fired back at the first American pope on social media, calling him “weak on crime” and “terrible on foreign policy” and adding: “I don’t want a Pope who criticizes the President of the United States because I’m doing exactly what I was elected, IN A LANDSLIDE, to do.” He also posted an AI image of himself as Christ — which has since been deleted — claiming later that he thought it depicted him as a doctor.
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Meanwhile, US vice-president JD Vance said that the pope should “stick to matters of what’s going on in the Catholic church and let the president of the United States stick to dictating American public policy”.
Qari Asim, head imam at Makkah mosque in Leeds, said Trump’s comments were “disturbing, inflammatory and divisive”.
“It is a moral duty for faith leaders to speak up against atrocities, and to admonish or advise those in the political arena and those in positions of influence and authority,” he said. “In the Middle East, the conflict has been flaring up and the flames of hatred will consume everyone, unfortunately. We as faith leaders find that it’s our obligation to extinguish those flames.”
The pope doubled down in a speech in Cameroon earlier in April, in which he criticised leaders who “turn a blind eye to the fact that billions of dollars are spent on killing and devastation, yet the resources needed for healing, education and restoration are nowhere to be found”.
The speech did not name Trump specifically, and the Pope later said it was not aimed at him — but some, including the president, interpreted it otherwise.
Italy-based imam Yahya Pallavicini, chair of the European Muslim Leaders’ Majlis (EuLeMa), said the exchange showed a stark contrast between spiritual leadership and political power.
“On one side, you have Pope Leo who is trying to serve his spiritual and religious role, providing inspiration for a moral authority… While on the other side, you have a political leader whose interpretation, I feel, lacks a lot of wisdom and respect,” he said.
While Trump maintains that he has nothing to apologise for, the pope has said he has “no fear” of the US president.
Pallavicini told Hyphen that religious leaders should continue to make “outspoken calls for justice, respect and peace”.
“The way we need to do this is by being very humble without any arrogance or pretending to make religious revolutions or offer a spiritual alternative to civil society or political institutions,” he said. “Pope Leo has been very clear and consistent with his spiritual authority.”
Sabah Ahmedi, who is known as “The Young Imam” and based at the Baitul Futuh mosque in south London, agreed, saying that religious leaders were often compelled to speak out on political matters that impact humanity.
“Faith leaders will always have a say and an opinion when they believe that humanity is at risk. They have a love and care for everyone, regardless of someone’s colour of skin, where they’re from in the world, or what language they speak.
“All religions teach peace, love, harmony and understanding. So faith leaders will speak up when it comes to injustices across the world, wherever they might be,” he said, adding that religious leaders were less motivated by party politics and more concerned about the rights and welfare of ordinary people.
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“They’re interested in the rights of people — the strong, the weak, the rich and the poor, foreign or domestic. That’s why faith leaders speak up,” he said.
Mohammed Kozbar, chair of Finsbury Park mosque in north London, also praised the pope for using his influence to oppose war and violence, adding that he should inspire other faith leaders.
“He represents billions of followers in the world and he spoke out about stopping a war which is killing thousands of people and destroying a lot of countries. He’s got the right to speak about that and share his position on it,” he said.
“That’s the way president Trump reacts when someone criticises his policies but the pope is a courageous person who spoke out about this issue and made his position clear. And that’s the majority of [people] actually — they are against killing innocent people, civilians and destroying countries.”
