Tory Muslim group chair says party ignoring Islamophobia claims in hope they ‘magically go away’

The leader of the Conservative Muslim Forum has said Tory top brass are ignoring claims of Islamophobia in the party in a bid to avoid "political problems".



Mohammed Amin said the party did not want to "rock the boat” and risk alienating MPs it relies on to shore up its wafer-thin ability to form a Government.

He said the Conservative Muslim Forum (CMF) had received “several approaches” about Islamophobia to party leaders, but said there had not been “a satisfactory set of outcomes”.

The body has now joined a raft of Muslim groups, including the Muslim Council of Britain, in calling for an inquiry into the issue.

“The Conservative Party seems to be taking the approach that if it keeps quiet and does nothing the issue of anti-Muslim sentiment by some members of the party will somehow magically go away,” he told The Independent.

“Right now the Conservative party does not want to create political problems or rock the boat.

“It is challenging when you have no majority at all as you don’t want to alienate individual MPs, but the consequence has been that the party has failed to take sufficiently strong action.”

According to the Independent new claims of racism have emerged in recent days.

They include one example in which five ethnic minority attendees at a local association dinner were sat at one table at the far end of a room.

When a complaint was made, the deputy leader of the group insisted “he could not be racist because his girlfriend is black”.

Another Muslim member claimed a councillor told him he was “not welcome” in the party.

The same member was allegedly told during a candidate’s interview that “naturally in your core belief women are not allowed to work”.

It comes after Communities Secretary Sajid Javid denied the Conservative party had a problem with Islamophobia and blasted the MCB.

BOB BLACKMAN

Elsewhere, Tory MP Bob Blackman came in for criticism after both he and the party were said to have ignored concerns about a controversial speaker he hosted in parliament.

The CMF raised their concern about the presence of Hindu nationalist Tapan Ghosh – who praised the ethnic cleansing of the Rohingya in Myanmar – at the event.

Mr Blackman denied inviting Mr Ghosh, saying he was brought in “without his knowledge”, but added that he had been contacted by the CMF.

He told The Independent: “I have found an email from the Conservative Muslim Forum to which I thought my office had replied.

“If they would still like to meet, I ask they telephone my office to make an appointment.”