: Britain's Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson
Former Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson’s Islamophobic comments regarding the niqab and the burka have led to a sharp rise in anti-Muslim hate crimes, an advocacy group said.
Tell Mama, which tracks and documents anti-Muslim violence, has reported a four-fold increase in hate crime against Muslim women, especially those that wear the niqab or burka.
“In the week before Johnson’s comments, Tell Mama reported no incidents against women wearing a niqab,” the group said in a statement, citing the former Foreign Secretary’s comments in which he compared Muslim women who wore the niqab and the burka to “letterboxes” and “bank robbers” in an article in the Daily Telegraph.
However, following Johnson’s comments, Tell Mama reported: “A London woman wearing a niqab reported being abused… with another three incidents reported in the capital and Luton the following day and another taking place in London on Friday.”
The Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) has written a letter to Prime Minister Theresa May, demanding an investigation into Islamophobia within the Conservative party and the wider British society.The letter, written by the head of the MCB, Harun Khan and published on Monday, talks about the reactions and responses to former Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson and his Islamophobic article he wrote in the Daily Telegraph.The MCB pointed out that “the reaction to Mr. Johnson’s incendiary remarks highlighted the underbelly of Islamophobia that exists within certain sections of the Conservative Party”, and that “rather than see the bigotry for what it is, we are shocked that a large number of Conservative MPs would seek to back Mr. Johnson.”The former foreign secretary’s remarks, according to the Muslim Council, were “dehumanizing” and “ones that mimicked far-right memes and attacked Muslim women”.The MCB recalled its repeated demands for inquiries and investigations into Islamophobia within the Tory party and among its members, and that “all we received was a tepid response from the party chairman, and denial from prominent party members and supporters”.The letter also brings to light the rise in anti-Muslim hate crime following the publication of Johnson’s article in the Daily Telegraph in which he compares Muslim women who wear the niqab and burka to “letterboxes” and “bank robbers”.“Since Mr. Johnson’s remarks, the evidence base has grown even further and we fear that attitudes have hardened against Muslims,” it said, adding that “there have been vile expressions of Islamophobia in Conservative members’ forums, and we have received such hate ourselves”.The MCB, while praising May for demanding an apology from Johnson and for showing her support towards Muslim women, said many Muslim communities across the U.K. still feel vulnerable.Furthermore, it expressed its concerns of the growth of the far-right in the U.S. and across Europe how individuals such as Steve Bannon, who supports far-right extremists, are able to meet with members of the Cabinet and Tory party members.“We cannot import this hate, or let it take hold any further here in the U.K.,” it said.The Muslim Council also repeated its calls for an independent inquiry into Islamophobia in the Tory party and “more broadly in society” following Johnson’s remarks.Boris Johnson is facing an internal investigation from the Conservative party, whose members argue that he broke the party’s code of conduct following his incendiary and inflammatory remarks regarding the niqab and burka.There has been a public outcry in response to Johnson’s article and senior politicians, such as May and party Chairman Brandon Lewis, have demanded that Johnson apologize over his remarks.The Muslim Council of Britain and fellow Muslim advocacy group, Tell Mama, have called on the government to take action against Johnson and that he face a full disciplinary investigation.The Muslim Council of Britain is an umbrella organization that represents over 500 mosques and institutions in the U.K. and has in previous months called on the government of Theresa May to address the issue of Islamophobia in the Conservative party.
Muslim body slams Islamophobia within UK's Tory party
These attacks, both verbal and physical, have not been limited to Muslim women wearing the niqab and the burka as “anti-Muslim abuse directed at women wearing the hijab also rose significantly with five incidents reported in Guilford, Leicester and London on the day that Johnson’s column was published,” the group said.
In total, there have 21 individual cases in which Muslim women wearing the niqab, burka or hijab have suffered racial abuse and assault in the week Johnson’s article was published which was on August 6th.
This number has risen by 15 in comparison to the five incidents reported a week before the publication.
The former Foreign Secretary has refused to apologize for the Islamophobic comments and has come under investigation from within the Conservative party over possible breaches of the party’s code of conduct.
A plethora of senior individuals and organizations have called on Johnson to apologize and that he faces a full disciplinary inquiry.