The mayor of Tower Hamlets has backed “inclusive sport” following a row over ban on women taking part in a charity run in the borough.
East London Mosque has been accused of breaching the Equality Act, after it imposed the restrictions on the event held in Victoria Park on Sunday.
The website claimed the event was “family friendly” and inclusive”, open to men, boys of all ages and girls under the age of 12, adding “everyone is welcome at the park to cheer on the runners”.
Prizes were presented by Tower Hamlets mayor, Lutfur Rahman, who referred to the event as a “truly inspiring community effort”.
“It was a pleasure to attend the prize-giving ceremony at the 12th Muslim Charity Run in Victoria Park, London, organised by the East London Mosque,” he wrote.
“Over 1,600 runners of all ages and abilities participated, raising funds for 40 different charities — a truly inspiring community effort!”
However, the post received backlash, with a number of people branding the entry requirements as “sexist”.
Mr Rahman later said: “We attended the event, which was also attended by the Labour Mayor and Deputy Mayor from the previous administration, to support charitable fundraising and it was assumed women’s races were being held.
“The Council contacted East London Mosque to seek urgent clarification and the Mosque have said in their statement that women’s races were not held at this event because of low take up but that they will organise women’s races going forward and work to increase women's participation.
“Providing inclusive and accessible leisure and sport in Tower Hamlets and tackling barriers to women's health and fitness, has been one of my top priorities, which is why I brought our leisure centres back into public hands to make them more affordable and why I introduced free swimming lessons for all women and girls in the borough, as well as men over the age of 55, to tackle health inequalities."
Baroness Gohir OBE, the chief executive of the Muslim Women’s Network UK, said organisers were “likely” in breach of the Equality Act from barring women and girls over the age of 12 from participating.
Aisha Ali-Khan, a human rights campaigner, also said the decision to ban women and girls under the age of 12 was “wrong”.
“It’s wrong for the East London Mosque to ban women and girls over 12 from taking part in their annual park run. Being healthy and fit is a big part of Islam for all Muslims, not just the men!”
Another person wrote: “It’s deeply disappointing to see you celebrating an event that explicitly excluded women and girls over the age of 12.
“Community initiatives should bring people together, not reinforce discrimination.
“No event that excludes women should be celebrated by elected representatives. Equality and inclusion are fundamental British values, they must be non-negotiable and applied to everyone.”
