FORMER chancellor Sajid Javid has urged the Conservatives to get their “house in order” on Islamophobia as he reveals that he was blocked from standing in a safe Tory seat on the basis that its constituents wouldn’t vote for a Muslim MP.
In a piece for The Times, he called on his party to implement the recommendations of an independent report into Islamophobia and other forms of discrimination “without delay” and “set an example” for others to follow.
The inquiry, led by Swaran Singh, a former equality and human rights commissioner, found that anti-Muslim sentiment “remains a problem” in the Conservative Party.
Javid, who called for the review to take place two years ago, says he was once told by the chairman of a Tory association he could not stand in that constituency because “some members didn’t think locals would vote for a Muslim”.
Javid says that anti-Muslim sentiment was “unquestionably a problem” and he welcomes Boris Johnson’s decision to adopt the report’s recommendations unconditionally.
Singh’s inquiry found a “widespread” perception that the Tories have a “Muslim problem”. It added that the issue was not systemic or institutional and there was no evidence that the party treated complaints about Islamophobia any differently from other discrimination.
The report concluded that Johnson’s comments comparing Muslim women in veils to letterboxes gave people the impression that the party was “insensitive to Muslim communities”. It noted that several of its interviewees thought Johnson’s comment was “discriminatory” and that the party leadership “ought to set a good example for appropriate behaviour and language”.
Johnson made the letterbox comment in a Daily Telegraph column in which he criticised a law passed in Denmark to ban the niqab and burka, both of which are full-face coverings. Johnson apologised on Tuesday (25) over the remarks.
The inquiry also concluded that Lord Goldsmith’s campaign to become Tory mayor of London in 2016 contributed to the sense that the party had a problem.
Goldsmith’s campaign came under fire for suggesting that Sadiq Khan, his Labour rival, was a closet Islamist extremist and that London would not be safe under his leadership. The report said Goldsmith “accepts poor judgment in the way his campaign was conducted but forcefully denies harbouring anti-Muslim sentiments or using such sentiments for political advantage”.
The inquiry found that two thirds of complaints received by the Conservative Party related to anti-Muslim discrimination and that there was “anti-Muslim sentiment” at local levels.
“While the party leadership claims a ‘zero-tolerance approach’ to all forms of discrimination, our findings show that discriminatory behaviours occur, especially in relation to people of Islamic faith,” it concluded.
The review called for the party to produce a mandatory code of conduct within a year.
Muslim community disappointed
Muslim community groups, including the Muslim Council of Britain and Muslim Engagement and Development, expressed disappointment with the report’s findings and called on the Equalities and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) to use its statutory powers to carry out an investigation.
The EHRC said that it would evaluate the findings and respond in due course.
Muslim Council of Britain has said that the Tory review does not go far enough.
Baroness Warsi, the former Tory chairwoman and cabinet minister who has been vocal about Islamophobia within her party, said it was “obvious” there was a racism issue and backed the call for EHRC involvement.
Other senior Tories, including Lord Sheikh, the founder and president of the Conservative Muslim Forum, welcomed the report.
Amanda Milling, who co-chairs the Tory party, has pledged to implement all the recommendations, starting with an action plan to be published within the next six weeks.
Purushottam Agrawal and Linda Hess in conversation with Sanjoy K Roy
Swaransh Mishra, Kirpal Singh Panesar and Rajvir Singh Bhachu
