“When I heard this, frankly, I choked on my porridge and I thought it must be April Fool’s Day. This guy’s clearly a complete idiot,” said Cameron.
In an interview with the network’s Jeanine Pirro on Sunday, Emerson said that Birmingham is “totally Muslim, where Sharia courts have been set up” and where the government doesn’t exercise any sovereignty.
— Peter Mannion 'MP' (@PeterMannionMP) January 12, 2015
The self-proclaimed expert on terrorism, who has given evidence to at least one congressional committee, also said that “gangs of religious police in parts of London beat up people who are not wearing Islamic clothes.”
Emerson later apologized for the comments, admitting that they were “totally in error” and promising to make a donation to the Birmingham Children’s hospital.
“My comments about Birmingham were totally in error. There was no excuse for making this mistake and I owe an apology to every resident of Birmingham. I intend to make a donation to Birmingham Children’s Hospital,” he said.
— Steve Marmel (@Marmel) January 12, 2015
Emerson appeared on Fox to analyze the situation in France following the series of attacks that rocked Paris last week, when he identified areas in France and Britain that are “claimed by Islam,” where “governments don’t exercise any sovereignty.”
According to census data, the large Muslim community in Birmingham makes up 20% of the total population.
