Well, well, well.
The people of London have registered their protest against the incumbent Labour government, whose problems have been increasing day by day. The local election results reflected the voters desire for change; the Mayoral election was the final nail in the coffin.
Ken Livingstone made some important changes to London. Some good; others not so great. Being in office for eight years is a long time. His visits to Venezuela and trying to appease some not so great characters did not go down well with a significant number of Londoners. It also did not help Ken that voters in the suburbs voted in large numbers - the largest turnout ever at a Mayoral election - and they voted for Boris.
Now for the man himself. Now, I'm usually the kind of guy who is telling my fellow bretheren to tone down their criticisms of people like Tony Blair and the like, who while waged a moral dubious war on Iraq, was essentially a sound prime minister. However, when it comes to Boris, his words speak for themselves, in the Spectator (2005, backdrop of 7/7 bombings):
The Islamicists last week horribly and irrefutably asserted the supreme importance of that faith, overriding all worldly considerations... the problem is Islam. Islam is the problem.‘
To any non-Muslim reader of the Koran, Islamophobia - fear of Islam - seems a natural reaction...‘
Judged purely on its scripture — to say nothing of what is preached in the mosques — it is the most viciously sectarian of all religions‘
The trouble with this disgusting arrogance and condescension is that it is widely supported in Koranic texts, and we look in vain for the enlightened Islamic teachers and preachers who will begin the process of reform. What is going on in these mosques and madrasas? When is someone going to get 18th century on Islam’s mediaeval ass?’
http://archbishop-cranmer.blogspot.com/2008/04/boris-accused-of-smear-on-islam.html
Now if Boris supporters (or even the man himself) are reading this, they might say, it was three years ago that he said this, and he was probably very angry etc. Well, here's a bombshell for you guys, I was very angry. Moreso than perhaps the rest of the people in London, because these four young men - British citizens of Pakistani descent - had acted in my name. And as a British Muslim of Pakistani descent, I felt disgusted at their actions, because they had villified both Islam and Pakistan as well as the UK. Some of the reaction that appeared in the US (as well as the UK) media was absolutely horrendous.
However, bearing in mind the multicultural diverse city of London, a mayor should be the one bringing the communities together, not dividing them further apart. If Boris Johnson is serious about tackling extremism in mosques and in the Muslim community as a whole, he is clearly going the wrong way about it. Alienating even the moderates is a bad, bad idea.
I am hoping that I am wrong, and Boris is not an Islamophobe, in the sense that he does not think that Islam is the problem. Especially because he's now the mayor of my city. The jury is out on Boris Johnson but I'm not holding my breath.
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2 comments:
You will have to do a follow up in a years time. Boris Johnson may have said some crazy things, which often go beyond questioning the generally liberal mindset of your average voter, Muslim or otherwise; but so far he seems to be picking up the pieces left by the previous regime.
Im not too convinced he is unilaterally making all the decisions in the Mayor's office. Nonetheless, he is now THE Mayor for the next few years, so does one protest or support his time in office?
Thanks for commenting, I hadn't noticed since I don't update my blog regularly enough (evidently!)
I think right now the jury is still out, and for the next four years we'll have to see what he achieves. The banning of alcohol was a move I supported, and the revoking of the western extension of the C zone also seems to be popular with the people.
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