Corbyn backs name for Tory Islamophobia probe

Image: Jeremy Corbyn has backed calls for an inquiry into Islamophobia

By Greg Heffer, political reporter

Jeremy Corbyn has put pressure on the Conservatives by backing calls for an inquiry into claims of Islamophobia within the party.

Last week, the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) demanded action in a letter to Conservative Party chairman Brandon Lewis.

The group said the last month had seen weekly incidents of Islamophobia from Conservative representatives and candidates.

Former Tory chair and Conservative peer Baroness Warsi backed up the claims and suggested there is a "simmering anti-Muslim underbelly of Islamophobia within the party".

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Video: Baroness: Islamophobia 'rise' in Tory party

Speaking to the Press Association during a Ramadan visit to a west London mosque on Monday night, Mr Corbyn said: "I think if there are allegations made then an inquiry should be held and it should be addressed and it should be dealt with.

"Islamophobia, as with anti-Semitism, as with any other form of racism, has no place whatsoever in our society or in any of our political parties.

"Nobody should be condoning it, nobody should be hiding it, everybody should be exposing it."

He added: "Let's dedicate ourselves, during Ramadan, to say we will drive out Islamophobia from our society."

Mr Corbyn has faced criticism over his handling of anti-Semitism allegations within Labour, which saw Jewish leaders organise an unprecedented protest outside parliament earlier this year.

Image: The Labour leader joined an iftar at a west London mosque

At the weekend, Home Secretary Sajid Javid dismissed both Baroness Warsi's claims and the calls for an inquiry from the MCB, which he claimed "does not represent Muslims in this country".

He told the BBC: "I would be very suspicious of anything that they've got to say not least because, under the last Labour government - and a policy continued by us - we don't deal with the MCB.

"We don't deal with it because too many of their members have had favourable comments on extremists and that's not acceptable."

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Mr Javid's remarks brought a strident response from the MCB, who accused the cabinet minister of having chosen to "shoot the messenger" rather than address their "serious concerns".

The MCB's secretary general Harun Khan said: "The reality of Islamophobia is that Muslims and the Muslim Council of Britain have to deal with the smear of extremism even though they have clearly and consistently condemned violence perpetrated by people who claim to do this in the name of our religion."

Original Article

Politics

July 29, 2018