Lubna Farhan in conversation with Andrew Gold.

Her background.

Lubna is from a secular Muslim family. She grew up with a single mum and they were the first Asian family to live on the Tintown estate in Luton. She went to Luton Sixth Form and later to University. You may recognise her from The Apprentice, working with Lord Alan Sugar and Karen Brady. She has also worked as a professional accountant.

I started watching Candid with Lubna over a year ago and her message of calling out bad behaviour from within her own community, based on her observations and experiences, has been inspirational. Staying quiet because of the extremism within the Muslim community only emboldens the extremism. A few months ago, she became the talk of the town despite going out in disguise. People still recognised her by her voice and word spread amongst taxi drivers and meat shops in Luton. Gangs of men would come to her door and threaten her.

Lubna set up a Go Fund Me following advice from her YouTube audience. This was open for two weeks and enabled her to afford the move to somewhere else. Andrew Gold starts the conversation by asking Lubna if she wants to do this (the interview). She replies that the alternative is not acceptable.

Candid with Lubna.

Lubna has two YouTube channels, one with the name above and another that is in Hindi/Urdu called Evolve With Lubna. When she received threats through her door, she took down many of her Candid with Lubna videos with the intention of closing the channel. I remember her closing video, where she was in tears, worried about the safety of her children. (I am not clear whether she has just one child or two). I have watched all the videos from “Candid” before they were taken down and she never said anything bad about Islam. The focus was on calling out the bad apples, as she terms them, within the Muslim community. She wants Muslims to come to the table ready to speak, take accountability for bad behaviours including non assimilation where appropriate and have the chance to condemn actions that people blame not only the Muslim community for, but all south Asians also.

I was told at least once that my people have been responsible for the grooming gangs and other atrocities in Britain despite the Muslims involved in those not being “my people.” So, it is important for the safety of all south Asians from extremists that target us based on skin colour, that discourse is encouraged. When anyone is given a voice then they feel confident to talk more and solidarity grows. That is the opportunity that Lubna’s channel still continues to offer. She has gone back to posting videos and doing livestreams.

Her experience following the death threats.

Lubna says she has received feedback from the Muslim community along the lines of “I’m sorry this happened to you..but..” They are not taking any accountability for the fact that by staying quiet and not even supporting Lubna, they are letting the voices of extremists in that community prosper. I read the posts on Lubna’s YouTube channel and she has even had to block her own sister because of her lack of support.

The Oldham grooming gangs whistle blower, Raja Miah, has also spoken about how tribal Muslims are. There is an unwavering loyalty to “the ummah” which is the clan or to use the exact definition, “ collective body of Muslims worldwide.” (Thanks Google AI). This explains a lot of behaviours and psychology behind various atrocities that have been perpetrated by Muslims and that they value ideology and tribalism over humanity. The humanitarian approach would be to call out the bad actions first and foremost. Our deeds are more important than what we believe in, or who shares our faith or race, aren’t they?

Import the third world..become the third world.

This is the harsh truth of what happens when you let in populations that are not, for example, Pakistan’s best. Advance UK politician Ben Habib has also spoken about the difference in Pakistan between where he was raised versus what you’d call the hillbilly areas. Letting in doctors and lawyers from Pakistan and other countries into Britain is one thing. What has happened is that those who would be shunned in civilised towns in Pakistan have come to Britain. Then, to paraphrase what Lubna says, we wonder why Britain suffers so many problems. It is not rocket science.

My personal belief these days, after listening to several commentaries is that this has not been an accident. I believe the intention was to destroy Britain and create a globalist country that has no one identity. Along the way, the most aggressive (political Islam) has pushed its identity onto Britain. There is a difference between being a successful ethnic minority in Britain and being a part of its main institutions versus taking over, so the discourse changes at places like Oxford Union. Just watch the YouTube channel, the Union is very pro Palestine, anti Israel for example.

Then, we see councils capitulate to halal meat rules and use tax payers money to celebrate Pakistan independence day. I would hate for this to happen with India also as British councils should only be paying for British events.

The dancing boys of Pakistan.

I remember seeing a video advertised on YouTube about so called dancing boys, which I think also occurs in Afghanistan. This seems to be an expose on the cultural paedophilia that Lubna also mentions. The thing is, like her, I was educated and raised in Britain so I wasn’t aware of these utterly regressive behaviours until recently. I think India will also have its issues, they certainly have a problem with other regressive behaviours such as “honour killings” within the punjabi community.

I am ready to condemn the bad human behaviour from the good, like Lubna, so I will watch and call it out. Islam is an ideology. All religions and faiths will have ideas that are troublesome and even extreme. I think because I have a similar personality to Lubna, I put humanity first before any ideology. It comes easy to us because although we have both been close to being indoctrinated by an ideology, it didn’t happen enough for it to take over our lives.

At Luton Sixth Form, a man showed a 15 minute video about Palestine and Gaza during an Islam class (that was otherwise seemingly OK) and it temporarily brainwashed Lubna. He focused on the separation of Muslim from non Muslim and how the latter were out to get the former. She remembers becoming paranoid, thinking this way and says if this was the impact of a 15 minute film, imagine how it is having a whole community of these people in your life. It is no wonder some Muslims are brainwashed and can’t see past ideology. Intelligent people can also get radicalised and join cults of any kinds.

The victim hood narrative.

So, what that 15 minute video tried to do was change how your brain thinks. You start to think it’s me or us versus them. Muslim versus non Muslim. Various interpretations of Islam that are anti western versus pro western sentiment. You could apply this to other ideologies like feminism and feminists being far more cautious of men compared to women. Again, it’s is an us versus them mentality, which empowers who one perceives to be the victim or the oppressed. Their lifelong goal is to call out the Oppressor and in some cases, hate them so much that wishing death upon them, going further and actually inflicting death upon people, is something that is seen as good. Resentment will never win the day. We all in our lives battle with negative feelings that can build up but when they are encouraged and become movements of resentment, then I don’t wonder at why there are so many problems in this world.

Scapegoating.

I’m with Lubna on this; when you condemn bad behaviour, you change the focus of the narrative. Why should all Muslims be blamed for the grooming gangs? They shouldn’t just as I am not blaming myself or my family for the honour killings committed by some members of the Indian community. Do you see how I call it out, though? Do you see how Lubna calls out bad apples within her Muslim community on her channel? What this does is humanise people by making us all see that we are able to discern between actions and people. It creates a wave of solidarity between non Muslims and Muslims. The non Muslims have been incredibly supportive of Lubna and she has even changed their mind about Muslims on the whole.

This is why I write. When people see me in public, it’s about quick interactions. I don’t have the time to tell them, all my beliefs. When you read my writing, you see inside of me and in your comments I see inside of you also. We bond in that way. There is a connection in human beings that goes beyond what we look like, our names and accents. We are social animals who feel alive when we have the freedom to talk or write openly. I am pretty sure I am overrun with endorphins right now! I feel alive. What open discourse does is take away the power of scapegoating. What shutting down discourse does is to give power TO scapegoating.

Playing into the hands of…

George Orwell wrote about the way stories are reported on and how we talk to each other, afraid of playing into the hands of the enemy. Here is the thing; I believe we are intelligent enough and inspirational enough to push open discourse with discernment and standards. Critical reasoning skills can be developed. It is 2025 and people like Lubna have made enough of an impact to get us all to raise the level of discourse.

There are many serious conversations to be had, I don’t see why we can’t have them. Tell me, what good has shutting down discourse ever done? Do you think the Pakistani Muslim community is better or worse off because authorities were so fearful of accidentally scapegoating them? If there is one thing we can learn, it is to say never again to shutting down victims and their families affected by grooming gangs. Please, never again, I would pay money towards this.

Separating racism towards ethnic minorities back then to now.

If we had kept open but intelligent discourse, then I wouldn’t still be called paki by a gang of youths. This is the stuff that belongs in the 80s, during the times I and Lubna grew up, times where the population was still adapting to and struggling with mass immigration, plus the problems that occurred in towns like Luton. Will eggs be thrown at us again? How about the fireworks through the letterbox and having to explain to our children what all of this is?

See, if you read publications like The Guardian, you’ll think there is the constant bogeyman of racism but racism isn’t a monster. It comes from human beings, it is a part of humans that can be dealt with. The way to do it isn’t anti racism movements and ideologies that discriminate against white people. There is just one way that involves communication. That very human and simplistic behaviour that needs actually no funding. What happened to Lubna when she grew up in Luton and what happened to me in Scunthorpe was in the past. When the past returns, this is because someone has let this happen. There is no monster that has reappeared but an outlet of negative feeling that has been suppressed, that has finally had enough. That is what racism is most of the time. It is just a primal scream that says, fuck it, I don’t care anymore. Those youths who shouted paki at me a few months ago may not have been angry but I bet their parents were, or someone in the community that scapegoated all foreigners. First of all that was person is degenerate, there is no excuse but secondly, we can’t keep missing opportunities to look at this issue of scapegoating and its roots. No one has called me a name for decades, why is it suddenly coming back into fashion? Why am I seeing “deport all foreigners” comments on the internet? Well, because people have had enough and if authorities are too weak to address this, then it takes people like me, like Lubna and others who try and change people’s minds. What is there to lose?

Luton.

There is something about this small town that has bred notoriety. Andrew Tate. Tommy Robinson and Lubna are all from Luton. The 7/7 bombers boarded a train from Luton wearing huge backpacks with the mission of carrying out the bombings.

Lubna’s son was told to not hang out with any non Muslims because they don’t go to heaven, whilst at school. Luton has been ignored but no longer. People are experiencing a version of Luton in their own towns and cities. A place with over 40 mosques that have carried over into our own towns, places where churches are closed down and our children are attending schools with us parents keeping an eye on Islam workshops within the school calendar. So, now those who thought of Tommy Robinson as a racist, thought Lubna’s observations were specific only to her environment, are waking up. Some are still sleeping but slowly Luton is not just some small town and outlier but has set the norm.

What change could look like.

How about TV channels in Britain actually celebrated British society and achievement? I would personally get rid of Narinder Kaur and other anti western commentators in favour of those far more intelligent and discerning. Someone like Lubna and historians like Rafe Heydel- Mankoo actually provide dissent. They are honest about British success and failures but with the focus on moving ahead, instead of staying stuck in the past. It shouldn’t be about reparations because if we are going that route, how about other countries also own up to their pasts? They don’t, the focus is entirely on an anti British and anti American sentiment.

Sir Winston Churchill; liked his alcohol a little too much, bit of a bulldog, not the best, most perfect leader but one who fought for British sovereignty. Why isn’t he celebrated at schools in the same way? Some young adults haven’t even heard of him!

What happened to the focus on actions? TV needs a reform as does society. I am of an age where I remember better times. Geri Halliwell in a Union Jack dress at the Brits; a little too short but iconic and definitely British! Looking back, those times were golden compared to now. Now, my husband flies a Union Jack flag and he’s told off. My daughter says some children talked rudely about the late Queen at school. I am not saying we should kiss the books and photos of leaders past and present but there is an in between!

Keir Starmer needs to go, his faux patriotism is a guise to send our young, working class men to fight for Ukraine. We are not Ukraine, we are Britain. I think a Reform government would help but we also need fierce defenders of British values like Rupert Lowe with his Restore Britain movement and Ben Habib, the wonderful man behind Advance UK.

Myself, Lubna and others who are first or second generation immigrants; we must stand together with the indigenous British and English population. Unity is a strong defence and tactic to disassemble those who want our society to be destroyed. Reform is better than destruction.

I am deeply inspired by and grateful to Lubna and Andrew Gold for their conversation. Is it one heard across the world? That would be something. This lady who calls Jesus a heretic she admires, is authentic and brave beyond belief. I will write about Lubna’s interview with Winston Marshall next.

Thank you for reading.