'Feels like Muslim city': Reform UK mayoral candidate sparks burqa row; faces backlash

Reform UK’s recently announced London mayoral candidate, Laila Cunningham, has sparked contention aft suggesting that women wearing the burqa should beryllium taxable to stop-and-search checks.

Critics person warned that the remarks could endanger Muslim women and deepen societal divisions successful the capital.Cunningham, who was named Reform UK’s campaigner for the 2028 London mayoral predetermination past week, made the comments during an interrogation connected the Standard podcast, arsenic reported by the Guardian. Arguing against look coverings successful public, she said, “No 1 should screen their look successful an unfastened society. It has to beryllium assumed that if you’re hiding your face, you’re hiding it for a transgression reason.”She besides described parts of the superior arsenic feeling culturally unfamiliar, saying: “If you spell to parts of London, it does consciousness similar a Muslim city. The signs are written successful a antithetic language. You’ve got burqas being sold successful markets.” Cunningham said London should person “one civic culture” and that it “should beryllium British.”The remarks person triggered a beardown backlash, peculiarly from Muslim groups and governmental leaders.

Cunningham, a erstwhile Crown Prosecution Service authoritative and a British-born Muslim of Egyptian descent, has besides faced Islamophobic maltreatment since her candidacy was announced.Shaista Gohir, a crossbench adjacent and main enforcement of the Muslim Women’s Network UK, described Cunningham’s comments arsenic “dangerous” and a “dog whistle” to racists. She said the statements would further alienate Muslim women, including the tiny number who take to deterioration a burqa.Gohir said her organisation had been forced to region signage and unit photographs from its offices aft a emergence successful abusive and threatening correspondence. “We’ve had letters sent astir grooming gangs saying each Muslims are scum, Muslims are filth,” she said. “It is hateful stuff, truthful evidently radical are fearful.”Despite Cunningham’s background, Gohir said the comments risked reinforcing exclusion. She said Cunningham was “sending a connection to Muslims that they bash not belong” and was “emboldening radical who already maltreatment Muslims and influencing those radical who are speechmaking this misinformation”.Questioning the governmental absorption of the remarks, Gohir added: “The fig of Muslim women who deterioration the burqa successful this state is tiny, and yet [Cunningham] has chosen to absorption connected that alternatively of the NHS, schools oregon the outgo of living. Is she going to get the constabulary to apprehension affluent burqa-wearing visitors successful Harrods, oregon is it conscionable women successful Whitechapel?”London Mayor Sadiq Khan besides weighed successful connected the contention portion speaking to LBC radio, saying attempts to disagreement communities were not caller but should beryllium resisted. “Almost without argument, our metropolis is the top metropolis successful the satellite due to the fact that of our diversity,” helium said. “I mean, however acold backmost bash you privation to spell successful presumption of state of religion, state of look and truthful forth? These are quintessentially British rights that we’re truthful arrogant of.”Labour MP Afzal Khan, who represents Manchester Rusholme, described Cunningham’s comments arsenic a “deliberate and cynical ploy”, accusing politicians of utilizing divisive rhetoric for electoral gain.

“This is each astir divisive ideas being pumped into the nine deliberately for electoral benefits,” helium said.Khan besides pointed to past probe showing that comments by erstwhile premier curate Boris Johnson comparing veiled Muslim women to letterboxes were followed by a emergence successful anti-Muslim abuse. “There are consequences for the connection that politicians use,” helium said. “What anyone wears is nary concern of the authorities oregon the politicians.

Individuals person the state to choose.”The contented of the veil has antecedently caused tensions wrong Reform UK. In July past year, the party’s erstwhile chair, Zia Yusuf, criticised a telephone by Reform MP Sarah Pochin for a burqa ban, describing it arsenic “dumb” and not enactment policy, according to the Guardian.