Wednesday, May 13, 2020
The facade of the Tory Islamophobia probe
Some of the endemic problems within the Tories resurfaced with a vengeance today, when the Muslim Council of Britain branded a probe into discrimination within the party as a ‘facade’ and an attempt to distract from the party’s problems with Islamophobia.
As the Independent reports, the council said the Tories were attempting to “hide” hundreds of instances of abuse, after the party published the terms of reference of the investigation:
Harun Khan, Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Britain said: “We have previously described the Conservative Party’s attitude to Islamophobia as one of denial, dismissal and deceit. The publication of the terms of reference for its inquiry reflects that regrettable attitude. They are a façade to hide the hundreds of incidences of Islamophobic bigotry we have identified in its ranks. In sum, it seems even today, the Conservative Party refuses to acknowledge that there can be bigotry and prejudice directed at Muslims.”
Sajid Javid, the former chancellor, first called for the investigation last year when he was standing in the Conservative leadership contest.
In the end all the contenders signed up to his call for a probe.
The MCB has submitted complaints detailing what it says are more than 450 cases of Islamophobia from within the party’s ranks to the Equality and Human Rights Commission.
In a statement, the EHRC said that in light of the Conservative probe it would not be “proportionate” to initiate its own investigation at this stage.
But it added: “We will be monitoring the review and requiring the party to provide regular updates on progress.”
This inquiry has been a long time coming, so one would have thought the Tories could have at least got the terms of reference right.
As the Independent reports, the council said the Tories were attempting to “hide” hundreds of instances of abuse, after the party published the terms of reference of the investigation:
Harun Khan, Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Britain said: “We have previously described the Conservative Party’s attitude to Islamophobia as one of denial, dismissal and deceit. The publication of the terms of reference for its inquiry reflects that regrettable attitude. They are a façade to hide the hundreds of incidences of Islamophobic bigotry we have identified in its ranks. In sum, it seems even today, the Conservative Party refuses to acknowledge that there can be bigotry and prejudice directed at Muslims.”
Sajid Javid, the former chancellor, first called for the investigation last year when he was standing in the Conservative leadership contest.
In the end all the contenders signed up to his call for a probe.
The MCB has submitted complaints detailing what it says are more than 450 cases of Islamophobia from within the party’s ranks to the Equality and Human Rights Commission.
In a statement, the EHRC said that in light of the Conservative probe it would not be “proportionate” to initiate its own investigation at this stage.
But it added: “We will be monitoring the review and requiring the party to provide regular updates on progress.”
This inquiry has been a long time coming, so one would have thought the Tories could have at least got the terms of reference right.
