A prominent British-Muslim organisation issued a statement expressing a “palpable sense of fear” within the Muslim community in the U.K. following Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s massive victory in the country’s general election.
Muslim Council of Britain (MCB), which has been calling for a full-fledged inquiry into anti-Muslim conduct within the Conservative Party, used one of the key slogans from the election campaign to express fears that the strong majority in the House of Commons could mean that, like Brexit, Islamophobia is also “oven-ready” for the new government. “Mr Johnson commands a majority, but there is a palpable sense of fear amongst Muslim communities around the country,” said MCB secretary-general Harun Khan in a statement on Friday.
He said: “We entered the election campaign period with long-standing concerns about bigotry in our politics and our governing party. Now we worry that Islamophobia is ‘oven-ready’ for government... Mr Johnson has been entrusted with huge power, and we pray it is exercised responsibly for all Britons.”
Describing the 2019 general election campaign as being the most “divisive in living memory”, the group called on Mr. Johnson and his team to work towards national unity. The MCB’s statement came as the former Conservative Party chair, Baroness Sayeeda Warsi, renewed her call for an independent inquiry into Islamophobia. “My party must start healing its relationship with British Muslims,” she tweeted. “Independent Inquiry into Islamophobia is a must first step. The battle to root out racism must now intensify,” she said.
On the campaign trail, Mr. Johnson was forced to formally apologise for any “hurt and offence” as he was confronted on the issue of Islamophobia and his own perceived anti-Muslim statements in newspaper columns in the past.
