July 21, 2019

What A Boris Johnson Premiership Means For British Muslims
Nobody doubts that Boris Johnson has waited for this moment the whole of his life. He is on the verge of becoming the next prime minister and, in doing so, will bring with him a history that is peppered with successes, as London Mayor, as well as public relations disasters such as the time he was left dangling with his suit on with the British flag in his hand and a hard hat on his head. He looked like a political damp squib as he dangled aloft, with his shoes walking on empty air.It is my firm belief that Johnson is not anti-Muslim or anti-Islamic, and it is not in his nature to carry such hatred and intolerance. Many might disagree with me on this, and his track record of statements does not bode well. However, a wider look at his statements about his great grandfather, Ali Kemal Bey, demonstrates a certain amount of pride in his heritage and in the end, what courses through the future prime minister is Turkish blood and DNA which will always act as an anchor to unabated anti-Muslim bigotry, even if it were to take root somehow. Furthermore, what Johnson is, is an opportunist, though within political life, which politician has not been an opportunist?Johnson, to many, is the jovial, straight-talking politician, someone who can “deliver Brexit”. To others, and to many of my co-religionists, he is a man with a history of controversial comments that raise eyebrows. Take for example, his comments about letterboxes for Women wearing the Niqab or face veil, which was followed by a rise in hate incidents against Niqab wearing women, which was tangibly measured by Tell MAMA. Or take the following essay that he wrote on Islam almost a decade ago, where he stated that Islam had left the Muslim world centuries behind. To counter this, Johnson has stated that as the Mayor of London, he worked to ensure communities were included in the social and economic development of the capital and that he advocated for a range of communities during his tenure. There is however, an underlying thread of apprehension that rests within large sections of Muslim communities around a Boris Johnson premiership, though many forget that just as it was when Johnson was the Mayor of London, the team of people he surrounds himself with, will be the power players and movers and shakers in his administration. Therefore a political team that believes in social inclusion can, in the future, offset much of the bad publicity that Johnson has received on the back of his flippant comments.So here are my three points of advice to the incoming prime minister on working to build bridges with Muslim communities. The first is to acknowledge the huge contributions British Muslims have made to this country from fighting for this country on faraway battlefields, through to the economic regeneration of local communities which were previously blighted by financial recessions. It is essential that Johnson speak about the positive contributions of communities, at a time when our country needs to be ‘talked up’, rather than ‘talked down’ by focussing on the negative.Secondly, Muslim women in particular, took offence to the “letterbox” comments that he recently made. Johnson needs to take the time out to meet with Muslim women who wear the Niqab and put to rest, once and for all, the depressing debacle of the comments that he made. It is patently obvious that women who wear the Niqab, (and who make up less than one per cent of British Muslim women in the UK), suffer more hate incidents and reduced life chances because of the discrimination and hate they suffer. Johnson needs to hear their voices, learn and move on.Thirdly, Johnson needs to drop the dog-whistle politics that he is currently playing. His recent comments in the leadership hustings about “speaking his mind” on matters, was meant to resonate with an audience, and one which may possibly think that “political correctness” is unacceptable. Whilst the prime minister has every right to say and do what he or she wants, the mixed signals that such language produces and how it is read within different communities, can create divides. In the end, Johnson’s natural position is not to speak his mind but what he thinks people want to hear. On this note, British Muslims want to hear acknowledgements of their positive contribution to this country and how they have been instrumental in civic regeneration in parts of our country.I therefore am not apprehensive of a Boris Johnson premiership, since if there is one thing that we have learnt, is that public office constrains the temperament and tones down the language. The Johnson of old, will not be the Johnson in number ten, nor can he be. In one simple statement – the country simply won’t let him get away with what he said and did before.Related... There's Something About Strong Black Women In Politics That Racists Find Triggering Margot James' Resignation Letter Attacks 'Reckless' Tory MPs Accepting No-Deal Brexit Philip Hammond Suggests He Could Vote To Bring Down Boris Johnson's Government Over No-Deal Brexit
Related Stories
Latest News
Top news around the world
Academy Awards

‘Oppenheimer’ Reigns at Oscars With Seven Wins, Including Best Picture and Director

Get the latest news about the 2024 Oscars, including nominations, winners, predictions and red carpet fashion at 96th Academy Awards

Around the World

Celebrity News

> Latest News in Media

Watch It
Olivia Munn Reveals Breast Cancer Diagnosis and Double Mastectomy Procedure | E! News
March 13, 2024
kUaEV1Kd3S0
Travis Kelce Shares Details From His Trip to Singapore With Taylor Swift | E! News
March 13, 2024
3YXi-Dgf4eg
Kate Middleton VIRAL Photo: Agency Addresses Photoshop Claims | E! News
March 13, 2024
S4VkO0TpkCY
Da'Vine Joy Randolph Plays 'Smash or Pass' With Iconic Moments From Her Career
March 13, 2024
vkPdJEF2BX4
Jean Smart Wears a Hotel Bathrobe to Present an Award to Hannah Einbinder l Power of Comedy SxSW
March 12, 2024
Bw7uVEYQev4
Lenny Kravitz Walk of Fame Ceremony
March 12, 2024
MlWq8BcnwhE
Dak Prescott Extortion Plot & Steph Curry for President? | TMZ Sports Full Ep - 3/12/24
March 13, 2024
jHFsrjs7OFY
A Japanese space rocket blew up after takeoff Tuesday, turning the sky into a fireball of smoke.
March 13, 2024
YkfJ3Qg8B7c
#KimKardashian and #BiancaCensori hung out at #KanyeWest's listening party Tuesday night!
March 13, 2024
EfwLLq6bx9k
‘Pioneer Woman’ Ree Drummond denies using Ozempic to lose 60 pounds
March 13, 2024
Omfjk1AlZ3A
Chrissy Teigen reveals her ‘boob lift scars’ in daring dress at Jay-Z & Beyoncé’s Oscars 2024 party
March 13, 2024
VxZ2qXAlpmU
Zoë Kravitz pokes fun at dad Lenny Kravitz's style during Hollywood Walk of Fame speech
March 13, 2024
j3-lcFu_1sQ
TV Schedule
Late Night Show
Watch the latest shows of U.S. top comedians

Sports

Latest sport results, news, videos, interviews and comments
Latest Events
17
Mar
SPAIN: La Liga
Atletico Madrid - Barcelona
17
Mar
ENGLAND: FA Cup
Manchester United - Liverpool
17
Mar
ITALY: Serie A
Inter Milan - Napoli
17
Mar
GERMANY: Bundesliga
Borussia Dortmund - Eintracht Frankfurt
17
Mar
ENGLAND: FA Cup
Chelsea - Leicester City
17
Mar
ITALY: Serie A
Roma - Sassuolo
17
Mar
ITALY: Serie A
Verona - AC Milan
17
Mar
ITALY: Serie A
Juventus - Genoa
17
Mar
GERMANY: Bundesliga
SC Freiburg - Bayer Leverkusen
17
Mar
USA: Major League Soccer
Atlanta United - Orlando City
17
Mar
ENGLAND: Premier League
West Ham United - Aston Villa
17
Mar
SPAIN: La Liga
Rayo Vallecano - Real Betis
17
Mar
ENGLAND: Championship
Leeds - Millwall
17
Mar
SPAIN: La Liga
Las Palmas - Almeria
17
Mar
SPAIN: La Liga
Villarreal - Valencia
17
Mar
SPAIN: La Liga
Sevilla - Celta Vigo
16
Mar
GERMANY: Bundesliga
Darmstadt - Bayern Munich
16
Mar
ENGLAND: FA Cup
Manchester City - Newcastle United
16
Mar
ENGLAND: Premier League
Fulham - Tottenham Hotspur
16
Mar
SPAIN: La Liga
Osasuna - Real Madrid
13
Mar
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: 1/8 Final
Atletico Madrid - Inter Milan
12
Mar
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: 1/8 Final
Barcelona - Napoli
12
Mar
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: 1/8 Final
Arsenal - Porto
11
Mar
ENGLAND: Premier League
Chelsea - Newcastle United
10
Mar
ENGLAND: Premier League
Liverpool - Manchester City
10
Mar
SPAIN: La Liga
Real Madrid - Celta Vigo
10
Mar
ENGLAND: Premier League
Aston Villa - Tottenham Hotspur
10
Mar
ITALY: Serie A
Juventus - Atalanta
10
Mar
ITALY: Serie A
Fiorentina - Roma
10
Mar
ITALY: Serie A
AC Milan - Empoli
09
Mar
GERMANY: Bundesliga
Werder Bremen - Borussia Dortmund
09
Mar
ENGLAND: Premier League
Arsenal - Brentford
09
Mar
ITALY: Serie A
Bologna - Inter Milan
Find us on Instagram
at @feedimo to stay up to date with the latest.
Featured Video You Might Like
zWJ3MxW_HWA L1eLanNeZKg i1XRgbyUtOo -g9Qziqbif8 0vmRhiLHE2U JFCZUoa6MYE UfN5PCF5EUo 2PV55f3-UAg W3y9zuI_F64 -7qCxIccihU pQ9gcOoH9R8 g5MRDEXRk4k
Copyright © 2020 Feedimo. All Rights Reserved.