Thu 28 November 2019:
With just over two weeks until the U.K. general election, the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) accused the Conservative Party led by Prime Minister Boris Johnson of “denial, dismissal and deceit,” while pointing out a problem of anti-Islamic sentiment rife within the governing party.
“It is abundantly clear to many Muslims that the Conservative Party tolerate Islamophobia, allow it to fester in society, and fail to put in place the measures necessary to root out this type of racism,” the council said before adding, “It is as if the Conservative Party has a blind spot for this type of racism.” The MCB has submitted a complaint to the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), calling for an inquiry into the Conservative Party.
The U.K. has recorded a 375% increase in anti-Muslim attacks weeks after Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s racist remarks, which called veil-wearing women “letterboxes” and “bank robbers,” according to a report released in September by the civil society group Tell MAMA in September.
The anti-hate monitor reported in the same month that 38 hate attacks against Muslims were recorded in the following weeks after Johnson’s remarks were published in The Daily Telegraph in August, compared to eight incidents the week prior.
Finance Minister Sajid Javid said Tuesday the governing Conservative Party would hold an inquiry into Islamophobia within its ranks, saying it took criticism from the Muslim community seriously. He told a news conference in Manchester that the Conservative party would “never, ever, as a party, tolerate anyone amongst our ranks that has any kind of prejudice to any group of people whether based on their race, or their religion, or their gender. “Because some members of the Muslim community and others are saying, and I understand this, is there more that you can do, in your procedures as a party, to root out anti-Muslim hatred? That’s why we will have an inquiry into what more we can do.”
The MCB has repeatedly urged the Conservative Party leadership to tackle the issue of Islamophobia within the party and investigate Tories accused of Islamophobia. Racist comments by Tory party members and councilors have been found online, with some calling for the bombing of mosques and others making racist comments about London Mayor Sadiq Khan and former Tory Home Secretary Sajid Javid.
According to the report, it was the second-largest spike in anti-Muslim attacks, with the first one taking place in March 2018 when a British man sent “Punish a Muslim Day” letters across the U.K., urging people to commit violence against Muslims, detailing a point system for each action and a reward. The letter called on people to attack Muslims in the form of verbal abuse or physical assaults, for example by removing a woman’s hijab or the headscarf, or by throwing acid on them.
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