Tories ‘in denial’ on Islamophobia
A MUSLIM imam hailed as a hero for his actions during a terror attack on a London mosque has accused the Government of being “in denial” over Islamophobia.
The comment came as former foreign secretary Boris Johnson came under fire for saying that Muslim women wearing burkas look like bank robbers.
Mr Johnson said he opposed a ban on the face-covering veils, but described them as “absolutely ridiculous”.
His comments, in response to Denmark’s introduction of a ban on burkas in public places, sparked an angry response from Muslim organisations and MPs, who accused him of stoking Islamophobia for political gain.
The assistant secretary general of the Muslim Council of Britain, Miqdaad Versi, said Mr Johnson was “pandering to the farright”, while Labour MP David Lammy branded him a “pound-shop Donald Trump”.
Labour’s Jess Phillips said she would report Mr Johnson to the Equality and Human Rights Commission.
And the Tell Mama group, which campaigns against anti-Muslim violence, described his comments as “totally unacceptable” and called on Conservatives to “stop using Muslim women as a battleground for political battles”.
In a newspaper article which did not refer to the row over Mr Johnson’s comments, Finsbury Park imam Mohammed Mahmoud said the Goverment’s response to growing anti-Muslim violence was “lacklustre, or worse, in denial”.
Mr Mahmoud was praised when he stepped in to prevent onlookers from attacking a right-wing extremist who drove his van into a crowd of worshippers outside the north London mosque last year. Since the attack, he said his congregation had reported increasing levels of anti-Muslim abuse, including having headscarves torn off and racist chanting.
Mr Mahmoud called for “a bold strategy from the Government to combat Islamophobia, as part of a broader effort to challenge the far right”.
In response, a Government spokesman said: “All hate crimes are absolutely unacceptable.
“They have no place in our society and we will do all we can to make sure that the perpetrators feel the full force of the law and victims get all the support they need.
“We’re working closely with the survivors of the Finsbury Park terror attack, including holding meetings last week. A further meeting is planned next month.”
Writing in the Daily Telegraph, Mr Johnson said he felt “fully entitled” to expect women to remove face coverings when talking to him at his MP’s surgery, and said schools and universities should be able to take the same approach if a student “turns up... looking like a bank robber”.
He said the burka was “oppressive” and it was “absolutely ridiculous that people should choose to go around looking like letter boxes”.