Dundee women’s group says Johnson ‘fuelling Islamophobia’

A Dundee organisation that supports Muslim women has accused Boris Johnson of “fuelling Islamophobia”.

The Amina Muslim Women’s Resource Centre said the Conservative MP’s comments on burkas had undermined efforts to tackle Islamophobia.

The Amina Muslim Women’s Resource Centre said Mr Johnson has attempted to “diminish” the status of Muslim women as British citizens.

A statement by the group said: “In 2005, Boris Johnson said, ‘Islam is the problem’ and ‘Islamophobia is a natural reaction.’

“As an organisation championing the rights of Muslim women, we are all too familiar with the ways in which this ‘natural reaction’ manifests itself: a woman who was attacked, punched and had her headscarf ripped off, and another who had a bottle smashed over her head in a bus, both in Glasgow this year.

“In his recent comments Boris Johnson further fuels Islamophobic sentiments by comparing women who wear burkas to letterboxes and bank robbers.

“At Amina MWRC, we value the reflections and intentions behind the choice to wear the veil.

“Is Islamophobia, in fact a ‘natural reaction’ or is it one of the by-products of a white, male-dominated Government, which continues to spew racist and sexist rhetoric, diminishing the status of Muslim women as British people?”