Under Boris Johnson, Islamophobia will take on a sinister new level | Suhaiymah Manzoor-Khan

With the government’s plans – from immigration to counter-extremism – pandering to prejudice, Muslims will be unsafe

Boris Johnson is one of the most openly racist and Islamophobic politicians in recent British history. His own abhorrent statements aside, Johnson leads a party where multiple members have been excluded for Islamophobia, with a number subsequently readmitted. He has also U-turned on the promise to conduct an inquiry into the issue, instead now running a broader inquiry into “discrimination” which displaces the specific concerns Muslims have with the party – not to mention the lack of confidence many have with the chairman of the inquiry. Notorious Islamophobes such as Tommy Robinson, Katie Hopkins and Nick Griffin all praised his win. If this election was the “second Brexit referendum”, this should come as no surprise. The first was won by stoking the same racism and Islamophobia.

Islamophobia has now become part and parcel of mainstream political credibility. Johnson can say “Islam is the problem” and make comparisons between niqab-wearing women and letterboxes, and face scant political repercussions. Meanwhile Muslims experience surges in verbal and physical abuse in public spaces. Stories of violent attacks on hijab-wearing Muslim women abound – attackers have used Johnson’s rhetoric; I have personally observed increased aggression and physical intimidation in public, for instance, being followed on to empty tube platforms by men making threatening remarks. Public vitriol for Muslims has been bolstered and normalised.

Related: It’s shameful that Johnson has reneged on the inquiry into Tory Islamophobia | Samira Shackle

Related: Denial, obfuscation, apathy: why it’s so hard to get Islamophobia on the political agenda | Miqdaad Versi

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from Islam | The Guardian https://ift.tt/35qAB8c