Sadiq Khan’s TfL humiliated as ad with Islamic preacher burning dollars banned

The Advertising Standards Agency (ASA)  have banned adverts showing an Islamic preacher burning US and Euro banknotes from across its network, reversing a decision by Sadiq Khan’s Transport for London (TfL) to allow them.

The ASA said that the image of the “culturally significant” US Dollar and the words “the United States of America” being burned on a network popular with US tourists had the potential to “cause serious offence.”

The six adverts for online Halal investment company Wahed Invest featured images of Ismail ibn Musa Menk, a Muslim preacher and motivational speaker known as Mufti Menk, surrounded by burning dollar bills.

The ASA said: “Due to the vast number of people who used TfL services and because London was a tourist hotspot, people from the United States or eurozone countries would have seen the ads.

“We considered some viewers, particularly people from the United States or eurozone countries, would have viewed their nation’s currency as being culturally significant and a symbol of their national identity.”

The ban comes after TfL initially approved the adverts, having not deemed them to breach their rules, which have come under scrutiny in recent months.

Last year, TfL was criticised for removing posters supporting the farmers’ campaign against inheritance tax because they were “political” just weeks after allowing campaign material in favour of the assisted dying campaign to be displayed.

Last year, comedian Ed Gamble was forced to change his poster after the presence of a hot dog was deemed to breach the company’s rules regarding junk food. He replaced it with a cucumber.

Former Conservative Mayoral candidate Susan Hall blasted the decision on GB News. She said: “The Wahed advert on TfL services begs a lot of questions about the Mayor’s policing of advertising.”

The adverts were seen on the network between September and October last year, sparking dozens of complaints and forcing TfL to remove them pending an ASA investigation.

The company argued that common phrases such as “money to burn” and “burning a hole in my pocket” were often used, but the ASA dismissed the argument, saying the “burning of banknotes would have caused serious offence to some viewers.”

A TfL spokesperson said the adverts were reviewed against its advertising policy before being authorised for display but conceded that “ we will apply the findings when considering any future campaigns.”

A Wahed spokesperson said: “Our imagery sought to visually and metaphorically highlight the impact inflation has on savings. Many of our clients elect to not receive interest income on their savings due to religious prohibitions on interest and yet still feel the effects of inflation, thus ‘burning’ their purchasing power.

“While our intention was to spark thought and awareness, we recognise the importance of ensuring that messaging resonates positively with the diverse audiences that may consume them.”