A Muslim teacher on Question Time put the PM and Conservatives to shame over their Islamophobia

A Muslim woman and teacher who appeared on BBC Question Time on 31 October took Boris Johnson to task over his comments about burqa-wearing women.

Referring to the reported spike in hate crime towards Muslim women following Johnson’s comments, the woman said:

I don’t like the fact that we are supporting a prime minister who incites hatred.

This is a Textbook definition of somebody defending the indefensible.

Boris Johnson should apologise for the inflammatory and derogatory language he has used, in the past.

Boris Johnson is not fit to be Prime Minister.. Period!

pic.twitter.com/oYIG4f7usx

— Labour's Black PLP (@LaboursBlackPLP) October 31, 2019

Her comments, meanwhile, point to the wider issue of the Islamophobia crisis in the Conservative Party. This issue continues to be a problem while simultaneously being ignored or underplayed by the corporate media:

We must not forget: the Conservative Party's institutional Islamophobia continues under Boris Johnson

– Goldsmith & Dorries weren't kicked out but promoted
– More & more new cases ignored
– Inquiry into Islamophobia denied

Ignoring won't make it go away https://t.co/4qOLYVkwuL

— Miqdaad Versi (@miqdaad) October 31, 2019

And any discussion of Tory Islamophobia has so far been woefully absent in media coverage of the upcoming general election on 12 December:

At what point of the election cycle will we get proper coverage of the Islamophobia of the Conservative party and how Muslims are genuinely scared of another five years under Boris Johnson?

— The Trashies (@TheTrashiesUK) October 31, 2019

Islamophobes in the media

Not only is there no meaningful accountability for Islamophobia among Conservatives, but right-wing Islamophobic commentators are actually running rampant in the media.

On 31 October, for example, Sky News invited former UKIP leader Malcolm Pearson on as a guest commentator. Sky didn’t just give Pearson a platform, though. It also allowed him to spout conspiracy theories about Muslims completely unchallenged:

What the FUCK?! Any Muslims still want to vote for the Tories? Remember what their leader said about Muslim women. Now this racist claims a Muslim leader claims “We will take over via the womb and the ballot box.”

I call bullshit. This is horrendous. And aired on national TV. https://t.co/863BtJbAoW

— Ava Vidal THEE Receipt Queen🇧🇧🇩🇲 (@thetwerkinggirl) October 31, 2019

I wasn’t sure about having kids, but now I’m 100% getting knocked up just to freak out this racist old duffer about the Muslim birth rate.

— Ash Sarkar (@AyoCaesar) November 1, 2019

Prior to this, the Spectator published an article by noted Islamophobe and racist Rod Liddle. Staying true to form, Liddle mocked Muslims and expressed a desire for them to be disenfranchised:

As editor, Fraser Nelson bears ultimate responsibility for the vile racism & Islamophobia that is pouring out of the Spectator (the latest by Rod Liddle published today).

He is complicit & must not be allowed to dodge responsibility. pic.twitter.com/zizIBIprSM

— Miqdaad Versi (@miqdaad) October 31, 2019

Rod Liddle wishes British Muslims will not vote in the election. He wants it so bad that he hopes there is a day in the Islamic calendar when Muslims are forbidden to vote. Well there isn’t one. Personally I hope all 3.3 million Muslims in the UK turn out to vote (for any party).

— Akeela Ahmed MBE (@AkeelaAhmed) October 31, 2019

The toll of normalised Islamophobia

For Muslims who would like to engage with a broad range of issues in a general election, the impact of this Islamophobia in the media is exhausting:

https://twitter.com/SamayyaAfzal/status/1190056191021473792?s=20

And even his platform isn't *that* surprising to me. It's frustrating that ppl want us to repeat cycles of shock and horror instead of confronting our current reality. Rampant Islamophobia is not exclusive to a right-wing minority. https://t.co/gZg6JubTLz

— Azeezat Johnson (@azeezatj) October 31, 2019

Rather than challenging Islamophobia with the same energy that antisemitism is rightly challenged, the media seems to be actively contributing to it. Moreover, mainstream media continues to brush past the institutional Islamophobia in the Conservative Party and its impact on Muslims:

You can’t have Baroness Warsi come on to do a 5min segment then the next day have Melanie Phillips or Rod Liddle as guests. Feels like with all due respect to Baroness Warsi and her tireless work on Islamophobia ,we are in a holding pattern of one article/segment and move on.

— The Trashies (@TheTrashiesUK) October 31, 2019

Maybe, at some point, minorities will stop being cannon fodder for right-wing election campaigns. But we don’t appear to be there yet.

Featured image via Twitter/ LabourBlacksPLP

Tags: Conservative Party Islamophobia

Comments 1

Ifti says:

7 years ago

Burqa is an identity for a Muslim girl. Its unwanted for a Muslim woman or man what third person thinks of it, she will follow it for the WILL OF GOD “ALLAH”. Its protecting yourself from people who think woman is showpiece or a specific thing for men enjoyment.

Let anyone in the world has any problem with any of the Islamic activity (which he follows as per the Islamic law), will never harm anyone in this world.
Pls read some hadith which will guide you to the right path. Insha Allah.

A British man came to Sheikh and asked:
Why is it not permissible in Islam for women to shake hands with a man?
The Sheikh said:
Can you shake hands with Queen Elizabeth?
British man said:
Of course no, there are only certain people who can shake hands with Queen Elizabeth.
Sheikh replied:
Our women are queens and queens do not shake hands with strange men.
Then the British man asked the Sheikh:
Why do your girls cover up their body and hair?
The Sheikh smiled and got two sweets, he opened the first one and kept the other one closed. He threw them both on the dusty floor and asked the British:
If I ask you to take one of the sweets which one will you choose?
The British replied:
The covered one.
The Sheikh said:

That’s how we treat and see our woman. Is Burqa THE most important issue the Tory MP could think of? It is just another way to justify attacks on migrants and other faiths. Burqa is an identity for a Muslim girl. Its unwanted for a Muslim woman or man what third person thinks of it, she will follow it for the WILL OF GOD “ALLAH”. Its protecting yourself from people who think woman is show piece or a specific thing for men enjoyment.

“Instead of wearing the full face veil Muslim women could try a ‘Santa style’ big white beard. Not only would it give them good face coverage, it would help them blend in to the rest of the non-Islamic community. At Christmas time it would also make our towns and cities look quite festive.”
“I hope we don’t become like France and start getting fined by the fashion police.

In the UK a women can walk around in a Bikini or a Burka/Niqab, which I think is great. That said if everyone started covering their faces I think the government might be tempted to bring in a law. But the amount of women that wear the Niqab is a tiny percentage.

Some Muslim women might find western fashion trends “offensive” as well. Sadly the word “offensive” is used to much in our world. People need to grow up, its a very diverse planet made up of different cultures, different religions, different fashions, and different languages and so on.

Plus courts do ask for veils to be removed for identity checks at courts, once an identity check has been carried out, the person can put the veil back on.

I personally can’t think of any good reason why it should be banned in either a school or a court.”
A valid reason for the niqab not being allowed in court even after the wearer’s identity has been established is that it is important for people to be able to see the facial expressions of someone giving evidence.” People are not found guilty on the basis of their facial expressions. Plus humans can hide emotions and facial expressions regardless of whether their face is covered or not.”

Jeremy Browne, the Lib Dem MP, assumes that the veil is an oppressive and submissive mode of dress (report, September 16). I have encountered many ladies who wear the veil and each one of them adopted it freely. The vast majority of them see it as a source of empowerment. Most women who wear the veil are quite comfortable with removing it at a hospital, in court or with a doctor. Islam exempts women from wearing the veil whenever necessity requires them to remove it.

According to a Muslim Pakistani lady, born and educated in Britain, “I will not give up my religious beliefs and one of these is the covering of my head, body and sometimes face. Some girls might be oppressed and they should speak out. But I will not have politicians impose their beliefs on me; I have the right to dress the way I choose”.

Burqa is not locking women, it is a buffer line between protecting chastity and exposing. Being naked and drunk is acceptable but being covered and modest is inhuman. Islam is the fastest growing faith in Britain. Hundreds and thousands of Brits are reverting to Islam. By the middle of this century, over half of Brits would be Muslims. Is Burqa THE most important issue the Tory MP could think of? It is just another way to justify attacks on migrants and other faiths. Burqa is an identity for a Muslim girl. Its unwanted for a Muslim woman or man what third person thinks of it, she will follow it for the WILL OF GOD “ALLAH”. Its protecting yourself from people who think woman is showpiece or a specific thing for men enjoyment.
IA
http://www.londonschoolofislamics.org.uk