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Muslim group calls for inquiry into Conservative party Islamophobia Conservatives must deal with Islamophobia in party, says Warsi
(35 minutes later)
Sayeeda Warsi, the former Conservative cabinet minister, has backed calls by the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) for an independent inquiry into allegations of Islamophobia within the Conservative party. The Conservative party has to stop denying it has an issue with Islamophobia, its former chair, Sayeeda Warsi, has warned after the Muslim Council of Britain called for an independent inquiry into the issue.
In a letter to the party chair, Brandon Lewis, the group said there were “more than weekly incidents” of Islamophobia within the party. In a letter to the current party chair, Brandon Lewis, the MCB said there were “more than weekly incidents” of Islamophobia within the Conservatives, mentioning nine alleged incidents over the past two months.
Lady Warsi, who now sits in the House of Lords, told BBC News the party had “buried its head in the sand” over allegations of Islamophobia. In the open letter, the MCB criticised the party for failing to take action against the Tory MP Bob Blackman who was forced to apologise after sharing a link from an anti-Muslim US website in March.
In the open letter, the MCB criticises the party for failing to take action against the Tory MP Bob Blackman who was forced to apologise after sharing a link from an anti-Muslim US website in March.
The MP for Harrow East has previously faced criticism for retweeting an anti-Muslim post by Tommy Robinson and hosting the controversial Hindu nationalist Tapan Ghosh in parliament.
We are calling for an independent inquiry into Islamophobia in the Conservative Party following more than weekly occurrences of Islamophobia in the party last month pic.twitter.com/ymkFRDs5sFWe are calling for an independent inquiry into Islamophobia in the Conservative Party following more than weekly occurrences of Islamophobia in the party last month pic.twitter.com/ymkFRDs5sF
The letter, written by the secretary general of the MCB, Harun Khan, reminded Lewis that when he became the chair, he launched a new code of conduct which includes the requirement to “encourage and foster respect and tolerance”, and that Lewis had since called on people to email him if they heard of bigotry within the party. The MP for Harrow East has previously faced criticism for retweeting an anti-Muslim post by Tommy Robinson and hosting the controversial Hindu nationalist Tapan Ghosh in parliament. Blackman responded by retweeting a message that denied having invited Ghosh, but made no mention of Robinson.
Khan said: “Yet no action has been taken against Bob Blackman MP who has now shown a consistent record of endorsing Islamophobia … Mr Blackman is not the only one who has fostered Islamophobia in your party. Lady Warsi said she backed the MCB’s call, adding that it was “a shame” it could potentially require such a public rebuke for the Conservatives to start treating the subject with proper seriousness.
“What I would like to see is, first of all, people within the party stopping denying this is an issue, and then starting to acknowledge the extent of the issue, and then setting out a clear pathway of how we’re going to deal with it,” she told Sky News.
Warsi, who is now a Conservative peer, said she had raised the problem with “successive chairmen”, and had written personally to Theresa May to seek action.
She said: “Each time it kind of seems we’ve said, ‘Yes, we take these issues very seriously,’ and then shrugged our shoulders and moved on.”
The peer added: “I hope the party will now deal with it. It’s just a shame that it’s had to be dealt with after a public demand from the Muslim Council of Britain, and an embarrassing episode of us all discussing it in a very public way.”
She said the problem went beyond the actions of a few candidates, saying the party must also look at the “terrible Islamophic, anti-Muslim campaign” run in 2016 when Zac Goldsmith stood for London mayor against Labour’s Sadiq Khan.
The letter from the MCB, written by the group’s secretary general, Harun Khan, reminded Lewis that when he became the chair, he launched a new code of conduct which includes the requirement to “encourage and foster respect and tolerance”, and that Lewis had since called on people to email him if they heard of bigotry within the party.
Harun Khan said: “Yet no action has been taken against Bob Blackman MP who has now shown a consistent record of endorsing Islamophobia … Mr Blackman is not the only one who has fostered Islamophobia in your party.
“Just last month, there were more than weekly occurrences of Islamophobia from candidates and representatives of the Conservative party.”“Just last month, there were more than weekly occurrences of Islamophobia from candidates and representatives of the Conservative party.”
The letter lists a number of alleged incidents that the Muslim group says took place in April and at the beginning of May.The letter lists a number of alleged incidents that the Muslim group says took place in April and at the beginning of May.
The list includes David Boston, a Conservative candidate who was suspended days before local elections for posting a photo of bacon hanging from a door handle, with the caption: “Protect your house from terrorists”.The list includes David Boston, a Conservative candidate who was suspended days before local elections for posting a photo of bacon hanging from a door handle, with the caption: “Protect your house from terrorists”.
Khan wrote incidents such as this were only representative of what was in the public domain and were just the tip of the iceberg. Harun Khan wrote incidents such as this were only representative of what was in the public domain and were just the tip of the iceberg.
He continued: “We want all political parties to ensure that they are firm in their commitment against all forms of bigotry and discrimination. Our democracy should not be overshadowed by a divisive culture within political parties that scapegoats minorities and alienates some who share similar political positions.”He continued: “We want all political parties to ensure that they are firm in their commitment against all forms of bigotry and discrimination. Our democracy should not be overshadowed by a divisive culture within political parties that scapegoats minorities and alienates some who share similar political positions.”
In response to the letter, a Conservative spokesman said: “We take all such incidents seriously, which is why we have suspended all those who have behaved inappropriately and launched immediate investigations.”In response to the letter, a Conservative spokesman said: “We take all such incidents seriously, which is why we have suspended all those who have behaved inappropriately and launched immediate investigations.”
ConservativesConservatives
Sayeeda WarsiSayeeda Warsi
House of Commons
IslamIslam
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