A TV personality who suggested Jews in Israel should “Go back to f***ing Europe” has attracted outraged after being cast in a Channel 4 reality show about immigration.
Former Apprentice candidate Bushra Shaikh, 41, appears in Channel 4’s new series, Go Back To Where You Come From, which aired on Monday.
The show features six people – four anti-immigration and two pro-immigration – who follow migrant routes from Somalia and Syria. Shaikh, who is of Pakistani heritage and worked on the anti-racism in sport campaign, Run Racism Out, is a pro-immigration campaigner on the show.
But in October 2024, the TV personality posted on X: “One state solution. Palestine. And send this European problem back to f***ing Europe.”
Other posts uncovered by the Campaign Against Antisemitism include branding European Jews “the biggest charlatans on this planet” and a “bunch of lying scumbags.”
Shaikh's posts on X have targetted 'European Jews' (Photo: X)[Missing Credit]
Another reads: “Anyone else questioning everything you were told about Jewish history…” and a different post questions why Jews are “so protected.”
This week, after an Iraqi Christian who burnt the Qu’ran was shot dead in Sweden, she wrote to her 89k followers on X: “Some of you may disagree but the public desecration of any holy book should be viewed as a hate crime and the offender should face consequences.”
She later said she did mean that he should have been killed, noting “I'm neither sad nor happy that Salwan Momika is dead. I don't care.”
CAA has accused Channel 4 of “hiding” Shaikh’s “real views” from the show: “Channel 4 is sanitising Bushra Shaikh to make her more sympathetic, instead of revealing her as the hypocrite that she is, speaking in favour of immigration while insulting ‘European Jews’.”
Shaikh is presented as an 'anti-racist' campaigner on the Channel 4 show (Photo: X)[Missing Credit]
In a post on Monday evening, Shaikh told her social media followers: “Telling someone to 'go back to you where you come from' is never funny.”
Announcing her appearance on the show, Shaikh, who has appeared on the BBC, ITV and GB News, posted in January: “This proud British Pakistani Muslim just landed herself another TV show in the UK. Through hard work and perseverance. I will never let hate win. Ever. This is why extremist Hindutva Indians, racists and Islamophobes dislike me. While they cry, we'll keep winning.”
In the programme notes for Go Back To Where You Come From, Shaikh says she “learned that there’s a lot of ignorance in the world, most of which stems from lack of education and resources”.
In the show’s trailer, she said: “There is a proportion in Britain who I think are as thick as s***. I am not the person you want to have these ridiculous racist and Islamophobic conversations with.”
A spokesperson for Channel 4 told The JC: “This series explores how people with strong views on immigration respond when faced with the realities of migrant journeys to Britain. Within the programme, all strong views expressed are challenged. Some of these contributors may have said or posted offensive things outside the programme. The responsibility for that lies with the individual. Our programme complies with the Ofcom Broadcasting Code. Our programmes include contributors from across society who have many different views. Including members of the public in our programmes does not mean Channel 4 endorses whatever those views are.”
A representative for Shaikh said the star’s social media posts are “not an accurate representation of her positions.
"There is nuance and context missing. Long form content gives the audience a better picture, which is available online… The conversation around the Israel/Gaza war is an emotional, nuanced and highly sensitive topic - where[as] these posts have been cherry picked from over a year ago.
“She believes the burning of any holy scripture as a public statement to incite hatred and/or division should be regarded as a hate crime. These smears and allegations are baseless.
“Bushra Shaikh is a campaigner for anti-hate and against discrimination of any group, including antisemitism and Islamophobia which she has spoken about on a number of occasions."
