World’s richest man Elon Musk is facing a big-time dispute for sharing a meme on social media platform X that has been deemed Islamophobic. The post, uploaded on August 10 features an image of four men with beards and attire associated with the Muslim culture, observing a white British police officer. The meme appears to be a variation of a popular image showing four Black men standing near adult film star Piper Perri, who is seated on a couch.
Musk’s post has garnered over 899,000 likes and 100 million views. The post reads “Found this pic of the UK justice system” and included a follow-up comment from the billionaire: “This meme could get you 3 years in prison in the UK (actually).”
Since acquiring Twitter, Musk has embraced the role of a free speech advocate, regularly challenging censorship laws globally by posting content that some users find objectionable or incendiary.
Musk is also under fire for reportedly limiting criticism of Israel and Zionism, after sparking outrage by appearing to validate an antisemitic conspiracy theory that Jews are actively working to erode Western values through mass immigration policies.
Following threats of an advertising boycott over the controversial post, Musk embarked on a series of conciliatory visits, which some users on X criticized as an ‘apology tour’. He first traveled to Israel to meet with survivors of the Hamas attack on October 7, and then visited Auschwitz-Birkenau, the site of the Nazi concentration camp where over a million Jews were killed during the Holocaust.
Recently, Musk has engaged in online feuds with several individuals, including former Scottish First Minister Humza Yousaf, whom he labeled as racist and a “scumbag”. Additionally, Musk shared misinformation about the UK riots and made light of the invasion of Britain, sparking further controversy.
Yousaf strongly condemned Musk, calling him ‘one of the most dangerous men on the planet’ due to his role in amplifying false information following the riots.
“Musk is not an idiot. He knows what he’s doing… He knows the consequences of what he’s doing and he will continue to do it because, as I say, he is simply not accountable to anyone. And in my mind, that’s what makes Elon Musk one of the most dangerous men on the planet,” said Humza in a press statement earlier this month
Musk fired back at Yousaf, accusing him of being ‘super, super racist’ and claiming he has a deep-seated aversion to white people. In response to reports that Yousaf might take legal action, Musk issued a provocative challenge on Sunday, saying, “I dare that scumbag to sue me.”
Elon Musk is also facing controversy over his daughter Vivian Jenna Wilson’s claim that he called Arabic the “language of the enemy” when she was six.
He is also facing backlash due to his clash with the UK government over far-right anti-Muslim riots that took place in Britain in early August.
Metropolitan Police Commissioner Mark Rowley announced on Friday that individuals, including US citizens, may face extradition and imprisonment for their online posts. He specifically mentioned that high-profile figures like Elon Musk could be subject to investigation.
“We will throw the full force of the law at people. And whether you’re in this country committing crimes on the streets or committing crimes from further afield online, we will come after you,” Rowley told Sky News
Rowly continued… ‘high profile figures have been “whipping up the hatred,” and that “the likes of Elon Musk” have been getting involved.’
On August 10, Elon Musk responded favorably to a parody account purporting to be India’s Home Affairs Minister, Amit Shah. The account shared a video featuring the UAE’s Foreign Minister cautioning European nations about their Muslim populations.
In the video, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed is heard saying, “There will come a day that we will see far more radicals and terrorists coming out of Europe because of lack of decision-making, trying to be politically correct, and assuming that they know the Middle East, and they know Islam and they know the others far better than we do.”
