How many Muslim mayors were elected in England in the 2024 local elections?

1. The headline — what people meant by “mayors”

Social posts that listed London, Birmingham, Leeds, Blackburn, Sheffield, Oxford, Luton, Oldham and Rochdale as having Muslim mayors mixed two different offices: directly elected metro/combined‑authority mayors (powerful executive roles) and civic or council‑appointed mayors (largely ceremonial, one‑year posts). Reuters found that the viral assertion conflated these categories, and that none of the named executive offices other than London’s mayor were held by people who identify as Muslim at the time of its reporting ^[1].

2. The clear case: Sadiq Khan, London mayor

Sadiq Khan is the established example of a Muslim directly elected mayor: he was re‑elected Mayor of London in 2024 and is widely reported and recorded as practising Muslim ^[3]. Fact‑checkers treat his re‑election as the only directly elected mayor in that viral list who is Muslim ^[1].

3. Civic mayors and local council appointments — the nuance

Reuters noted that some places named in viral posts did have Muslim civic or council mayors around the same period, but these are usually chosen annually by councillors to carry out ceremonial duties rather than being the executive mayor elected by voters; Reuters contacted the offices and verified that several of the executive mayoralties listed did not identify as Muslim ^[1]. Local outlets record other civic “firsts” — for example Brighton & Hove’s council elected Mohammed Asaduzzaman as its first South Asian Muslim mayor in May 2024, a ceremonial role chosen by councillors ^[2].

4. Fact‑check consensus: claims were misleading, not wholly true

Reuters’ fact check labelled viral posts “misleading” and “partly false,” explaining that the numerical and positional claims overstated Islamic prominence by failing to distinguish mayoral types ^[1]. Other fact‑checkers and watchdogs reached similar conclusions that the sweeping claim — that many of the executive mayors listed were Muslim — is incorrect ^[4].

5. Local reporting: other Muslim mayoral “firsts”

Local and community outlets documented several notable civic mayor appointments and firsts in 2023–24 and reported a handful of council mayors who are Muslim, including Brighton’s Mohammed Asaduzzaman and other council‑appointed mayors noted by outlets such as The Muslim News and local reporting ^{[2] [5] [6]}. These accounts show increased Muslim representation in ceremonial and councillor‑appointed mayoralties even if they are not the same as high‑profile executive mayor positions ^{[5] [6]}.

6. Why the confusion spread — motives and amplification

The viral posts capitalised on public unfamiliarity with England’s complex local governance: multiple mayor types, combined authorities, and civic lord mayor roles. Reuters identified deliberate or careless conflation as the driver of misinformation and documented wide sharing after London’s 2024 result, which amplified emotive narratives about “takeover” and influence ^[1]. Community‑oriented outlets reported these local appointments as milestones, which can then be reframed online into exaggerated narratives ^[5].

7. What we can say, safely and sourced

Based on the sources provided: Sadiq Khan (London) is a Muslim directly elected mayor re‑elected in 2024 ^{[3] [1]}; Brighton & Hove’s council appointed Mohammed Asaduzzaman as its first Muslim civic mayor in May 2024 ^[2]. Reuters and other fact‑checkers conclude that broader claims naming many Muslim executive mayors across England are misleading because they conflate different offices and misidentify incumbents ^{[1] [4]}.

Limitations: available sources do not provide a definitive, single tally of every civic and ceremonial mayor across every council in England in May 2024, so a precise nationwide count of “how many Muslim mayors” depends on whether one counts directly elected executive mayors, council‑appointed civic mayors, or both ^{[1] [6]}.