Nusrat Ghani: “Muslimness” a reason for my sacking from UK government, says Conservative ex-minister

[James]

<b>A Muslim MP says her faith was raised by a government whip as a reason why she was sacked as a minister in 2020.</b>

According to the Sunday Times, Tory Nusrat Ghani says when she asked for an explanation it was stated <b>her "Muslimness was raised as an issue".</b>

Conservative Chief Whip Mark Spencer said Ms Ghani was referring to him and added her claims were completely false and he considered them defamatory.

No 10 said the PM had previously met with Ms Ghani to discuss her concerns.

A spokesperson said Boris Johnson "then wrote to her expressing his serious concern and inviting her to begin a formal complaint process. She did not subsequently do so. The Conservative Party does not tolerate prejudice or discrimination of any kind."

Ms Ghani was appointed to a post at the Department for Transport in 2018, becoming the first female Muslim minister to speak in the Commons.

She lost that job in a mini-reshuffle of Mr Johnson's government in February 2020.

Ms Ghani has said when she asked for an explanation a government whip told her "Muslimness was raised as an issue" during discussions about the reshuffle and her status as a "Muslim woman... was making colleagues uncomfortable".

The Wealden MP is quoted as saying she dropped the matter after being told that if she "persisted" in asking about it she "would be ostracised and her career and reputation would be destroyed".

"I raised it several more times through official party channels.... I was extremely careful to follow procedure, and when the procedure ran out of road I had no choice but to get on with my career."

Speaking to the BBC's Sunday Morning, Justice Secretary Dominic Raab said her allegations were "very serious" but there would not be a formal investigation unless Ms Ghani made a formal complaint.

On Saturday night, Mr Spencer, in a series of tweets, identified himself as the person Ms Ghani's claims were made about.

He said the accusations were "completely false and defamatory" and denied ever using the words Ms Ghani had alleged.

Mr Spencer went on to say it was "disappointing" that at the time she had declined to refer the matter for a formal Conservative Party investigation.

He said he had previously provided evidence to the Singh investigation - which examined how the Conservative Party dealt with discrimination complaints.

Initially Mr Spencer said the investigation "concluded there was no credible basis for the claims" but later rewrote the post adding the words "to be included in the report" to the end of the sentence.

<b>Prof Singh's 2021 report found that while "not systemic" there was "evidence of discrimination" in the Conservative Party, and called for the complaints process to be overhauled.</b>

In a tweet, Nadhim Zahawi, the education secretary, said there was "no place for Islamophobia or any form of racism" in the Conservative Party, adding that the allegations had to be "investigated properly and racism routed out".

Lord Sheikh, president of Conservative Muslim Forum, said he was "very disturbed" by what Ms Ghani had said.

"Somebody is not telling the truth. I would like to get to the bottom of this. I'd like an investigation to be carried out by an independent person," he added.

BBC political correspondent Damian Grammaticas said the very public airing of this dispute is a sign of serious tensions among Tories ahead of a crucial week for Boris Johnson.

Civil servant Sue Gray is due to complete her inquiry into parties held at No 10 during the coronavirus lockdowns.

It has also been reported that Ms Gray is now also looking into gatherings held at Mr Johnson's private Downing Street flat.

Mr Raab said the substance of the findings would be published but could not say if the full report would also be made public.

Ms Ghani's allegations follow claims by senior Conservative backbencher William Wragg that Downing Street tried to "blackmail" MPs seeking to oust Boris Johnson.

Mr Wragg said he will be speaking to a Met Police detective in the House of Commons next week.

The MP for Hazel Grove said he wanted to leave any probe to "experts" rather than No 10.
Downing Street said it had not seen any proof of the behaviour he alleges.

Last week a spokesman said they were not investigating the allegations but would look "carefully" at any evidence presented to them.

Chris Bryant, chairman of the Commons Committee on Standards, said he had spoken to about a dozen Tory MPs in the past few days who had made similar allegations of whips threatening to withdraw funding for their constituencies, including for campaigning and infrastructure such as bypasses and schools.

The prime minister said he had seen no evidence to support Mr Wragg's allegations.

No 10 and Tory whips - the MPs in charge of party discipline - are trying to shore up support for Mr Johnson ahead of Ms Gray's report which is expected next week.

Some Conservative MPs have called on Mr Johnson to resign after he admitted attending a drinks event at No 10 during the first lockdown, although he says he believed it was a work event.

So far six Tory MPs have publicly declared no confidence in the PM, but more are thought to have submitted letters to Sir Graham Brady, chairman of the backbench 1922 committee, who organises Tory leadership contests.

Under party rules, if 54 letters are submitted a no confidence vote is triggered which could result in a leadership election.

 

[Robert]

So she has got no support from the PM, and the Conservative Party can’t deal with it. She has had to go public.

She should cross the floor and join a party where she is welcome for who she is.

 

[James]

<b>‘PM said to me that he could not get involved’ — Nusrat Ghani urged Boris Johnson to investigate “Muslimness” claims.</b>

<I>The MP claims a whip told her colleagues were "uncomfortable" with her being a female Muslim minister and was warned if she complained her career and reputation would be "destroyed".</I>

Conservative MP Nusrat Ghani has said Boris Johnson told her he "could not get involved" after she claimed to have been sacked because of concerns about her "Muslimness".

Earlier, the prime minister's official spokesman confirmed the pair met to discuss her claims that a Tory whip told her her faith was "raised as an issue" after she was sacked as a junior transport minister in a February 2020 re-shuffle.

The spokesman added that nine days after the conversation, Mr Johnson "wrote to her expressing his serious concern" and "invited" her to lodge a formal complaint.

However, in a statement, Ms Ghani said: "When I told the PM in June 2020 what had been said to me in the government Whips' office I urged him to take it seriously as a government matter and instigate an inquiry.

"He wrote to me that he could not get involved and suggested I use the internal Conservative Party complaint process.

"This, as I had already pointed out, was very clearly not appropriate for something that happened on government business.

"In my statement yesterday I was careful not to mention any names or implicate the prime minister.

"All I have ever wanted was for his government to take this seriously, investigate properly and ensure no other colleague has to endure this.

"I have many things that I want to achieve in politics, not least my campaigns on human rights and genocide, and I am deeply disappointed that it has come to this."

Chief Whip Mark Spencer revealed on Saturday he is the whip Ms Ghani has made the claims about but denied all accusations.

Ms Ghani, MP for Wealden in East Sussex, said the whip told her "Muslim woman minister status was making colleagues feel uncomfortable" and it made her consider quitting as an MP.

She added that they told her there were concerns "that I wasn't loyal to the party as I didn't do enough to defend the party against Islamophobia allegations".

And she said she was warned if she kept raising the claims, her career and reputation would be "destroyed".

Ms Ghani's accusation comes as the tactic of whips is called into question following allegations by some Conservative MPs they have been blackmailed for failing to toe the party line, or even considering it.

The job of whips is to make sure MPs vote on parliamentary business and vote in the way their party wants.

Chief Whip Mark Spencer, revealing he is the whip in question, said the accusations are "completely false".

In Mr Spencer's statement, he said: "To ensure other whips are not drawn into this matter, I am identifying myself as the person Nusrat Ghani MP has made claims about this evening.

"These accusations are completely false and I consider them to be defamatory. I have never used those words attributed to me.

"It is disappointing that when this issue was raised before Ms Ghani declined to refer the matter to the Conservative Party for a formal investigation.

"I provided evidence to the Singh Investigation into Islamophobia which concluded that there was no credible basis for the claims to be included in the report."

Conservative MP Michael Fabricant, who has been defending Mr Johnson recently, said he did not buy Ms Ghani's "excuse" as she is not "obviously a Muslim".

"I think the whole thing actually stinks, the accusation made by Nus Ghani," he told LBC.

"For her to say that someone had said it's because she's a Muslim - I mean she's hardly someone who's obviously a Muslim. I had no idea what religion she is.

"The Labour MP Keith Vaz, who was of South Asian origin, he actually I do know because we discussed it, he's no longer an MP, but he's a Goan Christian and others are Hindus and others are Muslims and whatever.

"But with her, it wasn't apparent so it does seem rather a lame excuse to me."

Deputy PM Dominic Raab said Ms Ghani could still make a formal complaint, which would allow for an investigation into the matter.

He told Sky News' Trevor Phillips on Sunday: "It is incredibly serious, let me be clear at the outset, we have absolutely zero tolerance for any discrimination, any Islamophobia in the Conservative Party."

Mr Raab added it was "very unusual" Mr Spencer has revealed he is the person accused but said he "categorically denied" it.

Health Secretary Sajid Javid said Ms Ghani is a friend and her claims are "very serious" and need a "proper investigation".

"I would strongly support her in making a formal complaint - she must be heard," he added.

Ms Ghani told The Sunday Times her experience was "like being punched in the stomach. I felt humiliated and powerless".

She said she was later warned that continuing to raise the issue would leave her "ostracised by colleagues" with her career and reputation "destroyed".

"When I challenged whether this was in any way acceptable and made clear there was little I could do about my identity, I had to listen to a monologue on how hard it was to define when people are being racist and that the party doesn't have a problem and I needed to do more to defend it," she said.

"It was very clear to me that the whips and No 10 were holding me to a higher threshold of loyalty than others because of my background and faith."

 

[Robert]

One wonders if this will hurt Johnson in the same way that the antisemitism scandal hurt Corbyn Labour.

My guess is that it will not as the Tories have gone after the xenophobia vote since 2016 with the PM dog whistling about letterboxes.

 

[MenInG]

A Cabinet Office investigation has been launched into claims from a Conservative MP that she was sacked as a minister because of her Muslim faith.

Nusrat Ghani was sacked as transport minister in a February 2020 reshuffle.

Ms Ghani said she was told by a whip, who she did not identify, that her "Muslimness was raised as an issue" at a meeting in Downing Street.

She said she was also told that her "Muslim woman minister status was making colleagues feel uncomfortable" and that there were concerns "that I wasn't loyal to the party as I didn't do enough to defend the party against Islamophobia allegations".

Chief whip Mark Spencer later said he was the whip in question, but has described her allegations as "completely false".

He added: "I consider them to be defamatory. I have never used those words attributed to me."

Now, Downing Street has confirmed that Boris Johnson has asked the Cabinet Office to carry out an inquiry into the allegations.

"At the time these allegations were first made, the prime minister recommended to her that she make a formal complaint to CCHQ. She did not take up this offer," a Number 10 spokesperson said.

"The prime minister has now asked officials to establish the facts about what happened.

"As he said at the time, the prime minister takes these claims very seriously."

Responding to the launch of an investigation, Ms Ghani said she welcomed the news.

"The terms of reference of the inquiry must include all that was said in Downing Street and by the whip," she wrote on Twitter.

"I look forward to seeing the terms of reference."

Speaking to Sky News shortly after the inquiry was announced, education secretary Nadhim Zahawi said Ms Ghani has made a "very serious allegation".

"She put out a statement last night saying actually, to be fair to her, this could be people who weren't even members of the Conservative Party, which is why we need to get to the bottom of this very quickly," he told Kay Burley.

"And of course the chief whip has come out and named himself as the individual and I work with both colleagues, and I think it is important that someone like a Cabinet Office senior civil servant should look at this properly, because the chief whip has also categorically denied this."

The development comes at the start of what is shaping up to be a crucial week for the PM and his future in Downing Street.

Another Cabinet Office inquiry, into parties and gatherings in Downing Street and other government departments during COVID-19 restrictions in 2020 and 2021, is due to be released.

Depending on what the report finds, it could see Tory MPs push for a vote of no confidence in Mr Johnson.

https://news.sky.com/story/nusrat-g...s-a-minister-due-to-her-muslim-faith-12524121

 

[SpiritOf1903]

No it wasn't. Is she even practising?. Pure opportunism

 

[DeadlyVenom]

One wonders if this will hurt Johnson in the same way that the antisemitism scandal hurt Corbyn Labour.

My guess is that it will not as the Tories have gone after the xenophobia vote since 2016 with the PM dog whistling about letterboxes.

No chance it will hurt him. In the current climate it will give him a boost.

 

[DeadlyVenom]

No it wasn't. Is she even practising?. Pure opportunism

I wonder if she has been pushed to speak by someone on the front benches and will be rewarded when Boris is brought down.

Otherwise it seems a bit daft to keep quiet about it but conveniently remember when Boris is under the cosh during party gate.

 

[sweep_shot]

I have seen many Muslims joining Conservative Parties. I think Muslims shouldn't join them because they are generally very anti-Islam.

 

[Maher96]

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has ordered a Cabinet Office inquiry into claims made by a Muslim MP who says her faith was given as a reason for her sacking as a minister in 2020.

Nusrat Ghani said a government whip told her "Muslimness was raised as an issue".

The Conservative MP welcomed the inquiry, saying all she wanted was for the matter to be taken seriously.

Conservative Chief Whip Mark Spencer said the claims were completely false.

He said Ms Ghani was referring to him and that he considered her allegations to be defamatory.

Mr Johnson declined to say if the chief whip could stay in his job while the investigation was conducted.

He said: "This is something I take extremely seriously. We must wait and see what the investigation produces."

The new Cabinet Office inquiry comes at the beginning of what could be a difficult week for the prime minister, with the expected completion of a report into gatherings on government premises that took place when coronavirus restrictions were in place.

Senior civil servant Sue Gray has been asked to look at the nature and purpose of the gatherings, including who went to them "with reference to adherence to the guidance in place at the time".

Mr Johnson has faced calls from some of his MPs to resign over the matter, but others say they are withholding judgement until the findings of Ms Gray's report are published.

On Monday the PM's former aide, Dominic Cummings, said he had sent Ms Gray written evidence but would not be meeting her.

Nus Ghani's allegations come at a time when there all these different fuses that have been lit.

There are small flames travelling along the line towards Downing Street: whether it is this story, or whether it is the story about a small group of 2019 MPs who have their own claims that the whips have gone beyond what is normal - and MP William Wragg will be talking to the police about all of that.

But the biggest threat to Boris Johnson is the Sue Gray report, which might emerge on Wednesday or Thursday.

Despite lots of frenzied reporting nobody, other than Ms Gray and her team, knows exactly who she has been talking to, or the evidence being gathered.

The expectation is we will get a series of conclusions, but I would expect calls from the opposition and some Conservative MPs for the whole thing to be published.

Why does the report matter so much right now? It is not just because the public want to know what has been going on.

Many MPs see the Sue Gray report as the crucial piece of evidence that will help them make up their mind about whether it is time to end the Johnson leadership.

It is going to be a very, very significant week for Downing Street.

Responding to news of the inquiry, Ms Ghani, a vice-president of the 1922 Committee of backbench Conservative MPs, said: "As I said to the prime minister last night all I want is for this to be taken seriously and for him to investigate.

"I welcome his decision to do that now. The terms of reference of the inquiry must include all that was said in Downing Street and by the whip."

No 10 has said that when Ms Ghani first made the allegations, the prime minister recommended that she make a formal complaint to Conservative Campaign Headquarters, but she did not take up this offer.

The prime minister's spokesman could not provide details of the terms of reference for the investigation but said officials should be able to "investigate freely".

Speaking on Sunday, Ms Ghani said when she had not used the Conservative Party's internal process because it was "very clearly not appropriate for something that happened on government business".

Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi said it was "important" for the inquiry to go ahead, adding that Ms Ghani was a "valued colleague".

He told BBC Breakfast he hoped she would present evidence to the Cabinet Office, adding that it had taken "a lot of bravery" to make the allegations.

Conservative peer Baroness Sayeeda Warsi - who has frequently spoken about Islamophobia in her party - said Ms Ghani should never have been asked to go through the party's complaint process.

"This allegation relates to comments made in Downing Street, not Conservative headquarters; it relates to a job in government, not a job in the Conservative Party; the allegations were made by the chief whip, not by the chief executive or chairman of the party," she told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

"This was not a party issue, this was a government issue."

Baroness Warsi, the first Muslim woman to attend cabinet, said Ms Ghani's experience had been "an open secret in Westminster" and that she had "struggled to be heard" for nearly two years.

The former party chair said that she believed there was a "pattern" with Islamophobia in the Conservative Party, where "Islamophobic racism is not viewed as seriously as other forms of racism" and "action is rarely taken until the media is involved".

She called for the Equalities and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) to intervene, arguing the government might have broken the law.

Labour's deputy leader Angela Rayner said the prime minister's standards adviser Lord Geidt should investigate if the chief whip broke the ministerial code with his alleged comments.

Singh investigation

Ms Ghani was appointed to a post at the Department for Transport in 2018, becoming the first female Muslim minister to speak in the Commons.

She lost that job in a mini-reshuffle of Mr Johnson's government in February 2020.

Speaking to the Sunday Times, Ms Ghani said that when she asked for an explanation, a government whip had told her that "Muslimness was raised as an issue" during discussions about the reshuffle, and her status as a "Muslim woman... was making colleagues uncomfortable".

The Wealden MP said she had dropped the matter after being told that if she "persisted" in asking about it she "would be ostracised and her career and reputation would be destroyed".

After her allegations were published, Mr Spencer identified himself as the person Ms Ghani's claims were made about, saying he did not want other whips to be "drawn into this matter".

The Sherwood MP said he had previously provided evidence to the Singh investigation which he said had "concluded there was no credible basis for the claims" but he later added the phrase "to be included in the report".

Prof Swaran Singh's 2021 report - which examined how the Conservative Party dealt with discrimination complaints - found that while "not systemic" there was "evidence of discrimination" in the Conservative Party, and it called for the complaints process to be overhauled.

The report made 16 recommendations - eight of which the Conservative Party says are still to be implemented. The EHRC has said it is monitoring the progress made by the party.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-60108377

 

[PakLFC]

I don't think so. Victim mentality and Islamophobia are falsely used by many Muslim's too.

 

[Maher96]

Nusrat Ghani row: Imam appointed to define Islamophobia has had ‘no meaningful engagement’ from ministers

An imam appointed by the government to draw up a definition of Islamophobia says he has received no “meaningful engagement” from ministers in years.

Qari Asim MBE was commissioned to lead an official process in 2019 but told The Independent the work “didn’t really start”, and letters to ministers as recently as last month have gone unanswered.

The intervention came as a row over fresh Islamophobia allegations engulfed the Conservative Party, after MP Nusrat Ghani said she was sacked as a minister because of colleagues' concerns about her “Muslimness”.

Mr Asim said the allegations “once again demonstrate the importance of having a definition of Islamophobia”, which was commissioned in May 2019.

The government is to be questioned about the delay and its wider efforts to tackle anti-Muslim hatred in the House of Commons on Tuesday.

Afzal Khan, a member of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on British Muslims, will bring a point of order questioning why Boris Johnson has not properly responded to letters on the subject dating back to November 2020.

The Labour MP will say: “The shocking and serious allegations made by [Ms Ghani] remind us that this Conservative government continues to ignore the blatant Islamophobia in its own ranks.”

Mr Khan said he was formally promised a response to letters asking what the government was doing to better safeguard British Muslims in November, but has received nothing.

Meanwhile, Mr Asim said he had been given no office, no financial resources, no staff and no terms of reference to draw up a definition hoped to tackle the issue.

“Other than an announcement and conversations [with ministers] there hasn’t been any progress and that shows a lack of political will to define Islamophobia,” he added.

“I’m perplexed over the reasons of lack of engagement when the government time and again say they have zero tolerance to anti-Muslim hatred.”

Mr Asim, who is an imam at the Makkah Mosque in Leeds, said several letters to successive communities secretaries have gone unanswered - including two written to Michael Gove in November and December.

Mr Gove committed to “the importance of countering anti-Muslim hatred” in the Commons on 1 November, alluding to Mr Asim’s work and an anti-Muslim hatred working group.

In a letter sent following his comments, Mr Asim told the communities secretary that nothing had progressed, and questioned why. He asked for a meeting but received no reply.

“I have set out my plan on how I thought a broad-based consensus can be achieved but there has been a lack of meaningful engagement,” he added.

“Initially I didn’t pursue it during the first year of the pandemic because I want to give the government the space to deal with that, but from the community’s perspective it’s hugely disappointing and undermines trust and confidence in the government. Something needs to happen.”

Mr Asim called for the government to publicly recognise that Islamophobia “is a real issue” and move forward with the definition.

He said: “Some people don’t like the term Islamophobia because they think that it’s more about protecting the faith itself, but it’s not the case.

“The faith has been critiqued since its inception - this is about protecting people and deterring those who target people because of their faith.”

The APPG on British Muslims formulated a working definition and called for it to be adopted in 2018, saying the lack of one was allowing Islamophobia to “increase in society to devastating effect”.

The Conservative government rejected the proposed definition in May 2019, and announced that it would commission independent experts to draw up a different one.

When Mr Asim was appointed that July, the government said it agreed that a formal definition of Islamophobia was needed but said “concerns have been raised that the APPG definition could unintentionally undermine freedom of speech, and prevent legitimate criticism of Islamist extremism, or of unacceptable cultural practices”.

A report into Islamophobia in the Conservative Party, published last year, found that two-thirds of discriminatory incidents reported to its headquarters over six years related to anti-Muslim discrimination.

The review considered cases including a 2018 newspaper column written by Mr Johnson comparing Muslim women who wear full-face veils to “letter boxes”, saying such incidents “give an impression to some of a party and leadership insensitive to Muslim communities”.

In the year ending March 2021, 45 per cent of all religiously-motivated hate crimes recorded by police in England and Wales targeted Muslims, compared to 22 per cent targeting Jewish people.

The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities did not answerThe Independent’s questions over the reasons for delays to the Islamophobia definition, lack of resources given to Mr Asim or the absence of responses to his letters.

A spokesperson said the department would respond to his correspondence “in due course” and added: “The government is absolutely committed to supporting freedom of religion, and believes faith has an important role in public life.

“We take a zero tolerance approach to anti-Muslim hatred in any form and will continue to combat discrimination and intolerance.”

From news to politics, travel to sport, culture to climate – The Independent has a host of free newsletters to suit your interests. To find the stories you want to read, and more, in your inbox, click here.

https://news.sky.com/story/boris-jo...st-national-lockdown-reports-suggest-12524575

 

[MenInG]

Peter Oborne:

Ten years ago, when I was chief political commentator of the Daily Telegraph and carried more weight in Conservative Party circles than today, I played a tiny role in encouraging Nusrat Ghani into parliament.

At a fund-raising event hosted by the current health secretary, Sajid Javid, she auctioned me off for lunch. I wasn’t just happy to help her raise funds. I was proud. The person I knew was hard-working and personable, with the talent to break into a Conservative cabinet. I was certain that the Conservative Party - and Britain - needed people like Ghani.

Ghani was, and remains, the polar opposite of the pampered, entitled, privately educated clique which surrounds Boris Johnson

Elected in 2015, she was, and remains, the polar opposite of the pampered, entitled, privately educated clique which surrounds Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Which may explain why Ghani was sacked from her ministerial position in the 2020 reshuffle. At the weekend, she revealed that the move was made because of her Muslim faith.

Ghani was born in Pakistan-administered Azad Kashmir, where her father, Ahmed, was a teacher. The family moved to Birmingham, where they lived on a council estate and young Nusrat attended state schools and, in due course, Birmingham City University and a job in the City. She then joined the BBC World Service, for whom she worked in Myanmar, Russia and Afghanistan.

'I don’t want to be pigeonholed'

I used to gently urge her to make rather more of her Muslim identity. Ghani firmly and reasonably made clear to me that she wanted to do things her own way, saying: "I don’t want to be pigeonholed as a Muslim or a female." Many political activists would criticise Ghani for this, but I am certain that she was not just entitled to go into politics on her own terms, but right to do so.

She has spoken only once on Palestine during her six and a half years in parliament, and only once, very briefly, on Kashmir.

Ghani has, however, been hugely energetic in a large number of important causes, including farming, age concern and human trafficking. More recently, she has been so strong on behalf of the oppressed Uighur minority in China's East Turkestan that she’s been sanctioned by Beijing. She’s been an outstanding constituency MP - and, until her career was cut short, an excellent minister.

Recently, she became a senior fellow at the Policy Exchange think tank. As an admirer of Nusrat Ghani, I was surprised. Though little known to the public, Policy Exchange has done more than any other organisation to frame official thinking about how Islam is perceived in the UK.

It once published a report by Munira Mirza - now head of Boris Johnson’s policy unit - which suggested that the idea Muslims in Britain faced discrimination was a “myth” and that use of the term Islamophobia was “a convenient way of closing down debate”.

In her capacity as senior fellow, Ghani wrote an article welcoming William Shawcross as reviewer of the troubled Prevent counter-terrorism strategy. Shawcross is not immune to the Islamophobia his one-time Policy Exchange colleague Munira Mirza regards as a myth.

He once told an American audience: “Europe and Islam is one of the greatest, most terrifying problems of our future. I think all European countries have vastly, very quickly growing Islamic populations.” Ghani even praised Shawcross’s record as chairman of the Charity Commission. During his chairmanship, the regulator faced complaints of institutional bias against Muslims. Both the commission and Shawcross denied this, and Ghani has accepted that denial.

Again, she’s entitled to do so. This brings me to my central point.

Nothing but loyal service
As a Conservative politician, Ghani has given nothing but loyal service to her constituents, her party, her country and the government. She has gone so far out of her way to present herself as a mainstream Tory politician that she has opened herself to the criticism of effacing her heritage as a Pakistani Muslim.

But this was not enough. This is why the case of Nusrat Ghani has so much to tell us about the modern Conservative Party.

Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson delivers his keynote speech on the final day of the annual Conservative Party Conference at the Manchester Central convention centre in Manchester, northwest England, on October 6, 2021
Boris Johnson delivers his keynote speech on the final day of the annual Conservative Party Conference on 6 October 2021 (AFP)
The Ghani affair tells us that many Conservatives aren’t simply hostile to Muslims who support the Palestinian cause, make an issue of Kashmir, or celebrate their religion and their identity. It shows that too many of Johnson’s Conservatives dislike all Muslims, whatever their opinions and however "integrated" they are.

They even feel uneasy with Muslims who write for Policy Exchange and admire William Shawcross.

According to her own account, she was told that she was sacked as a minister because her “Muslim woman minister status was making colleagues feel uncomfortable”. The Conservative chief whip Mark Spencer denies such remarks were ever said. Probably there is no way we will ever know the truth.

The Nusrat Ghani I know would never fabricate such a conversation. And her account of events fits like a glove with the recent history of the Conservatives

But the Nusrat Ghani I have known for a decade would never fabricate such a conversation. And her account of events fits like a glove with the recent history of the Conservatives.

Ghani became a Tory MP in the 2015 general election. That means she was a Tory MP during Zac Goldsmith’s Islamophobic campaign for mayor of London in 2016, in which he attempted to win an election by stirring up sectarian division.

Goldsmith attacked his opponent Sadiq Khan less as a politician and more as a Muslim apologist for "extremists".

I assume Ghani will have been present at prime minister’s questions to hear then Prime Minister David Cameron abuse the despatch box by making entirely false allegations that Ghani’s near-namesake, the south London imam Suliman Gani, was a supporter of the Islamic State group.

Tory's 'Muslim problem'
Ghani was an MP when Andrea Leadsom, Jacob Rees-Mogg’s predecessor as leader of the Commons, called Islamophobia a matter for the Foreign Office. She will have been aware that the Tory backbencher Michael Fabricant, a Johnson loyalist who has gone on an offensive against her in recent days, talked about “Anglo-Muslim relations” within the UK.

I guess she’ll have had to cope with the naked Islamophobia of the broader Tory membership.

Many Tory MPs reflect the bigotry of the membership. I have written before for Middle East Eye about Bob Blackman, the MP for Harrow East who shared an anti-Muslim post by Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, commonly known as Tommy Robinson, the former leader of the English Defence League.


Cabinet reshuffle: Boris Johnson and the scourge of Islamophobia
Read More »
Ghani has to put up with him as a fellow officer on the backbench 1922 Committee. Think about that. And she was obliged to serve in the same government as Nadine Dorries, who also shared a tweet by Robinson, and is now culture secretary.

Worst of all, she’s had to work for Boris Johnson, who as prime minister and Tory leader has encouraged this culture of casual anti-Muslim bigotry.

According to TellMAMA, a national project which records and measures anti-Muslim incidents in the UK, there was a 375 percent spike in such incidents in the week after Johnson compared women who wear the niqab to “letterboxes” and “bank robbers” in a column for the Daily Telegraph.

There’s a reason why (though I stand to be corrected) I can only find four Muslims among the 359 Tory MPs in parliament: Saqib Bhatti; Rehman Chishti, the principled MP for Gillingham and Rainham; Imran Ahmad Khan, Tory MP for Wakefield, currently suspended and awaiting trial; and Ghani herself. Sajid Javid has a Muslim heritage but reportedly does not practice the faith.

That’s a shockingly low number. I could go on and on about the Conservative Party’s Muslim problem and have done in a series of articles for MEE. The Equality and Human Rights Commission's failure to investigate Tory Islamophobia continues to bemuse me. Johnson’s Conservative Party has become a moral cesspit for a number of reasons. Anti-Muslim bigotry is high among them.

Ten years ago, I was lucky enough to meet a public-spirited Muslim called Nusrat Ghani. I encouraged her to enter parliament as a Tory MP. If I could go back in time, I would warn her not to.

https://www.middleeasteye.net/opini...nusrat-ghani-encouraged-parliament-wish-hadnt

 

[Robert]

Four Muslim Tories out of 359 = 1.1%

Fourteen Labour MPs out of 199 = 7%

As about 5% of Britons are Muslim, Labour are doing a good job of diversity.

 

[Technics 1210]

If she was told her “Muslimness was raised as an issue”, then this is Islamophobia, and not xenophobia, because had anyone said “Jewishness was raised as an issue” then cries of anti-semitism would be heard around the globe.

Well done on Boris for ordering an inquiry.

 

[shaz619]

Four Muslim Tories out of 359 = 1.1%

Fourteen Labour MPs out of 199 = 7%

As about 5% of Britons are Muslim, Labour are doing a good job of diversity.

I have zero sympathy for this woman. The coconut wanted to bend down for white fascists who berate muslims in general and try to fit into their filthy scheme of things, unfortunately she can’t change how she looks or her identity no matter how hard she tried and in the end got served, now when it didn’t work out she is crying and using the race/religion card which she put in bin to please a bunch of filthy tories. Serves her right for joining the kuckservatives in the first place!

 

[Robert]

I have zero sympathy for this woman. The coconut wanted to bend down for white fascists who berate muslims in general and try to fit into their filthy scheme of things, unfortunately she can’t change how she looks or her identity no matter how hard she tried and in the end got served, now when it didn’t work out she is crying and using the race/religion card which she put in bin to please a bunch of filthy tories. Serves her right for joining the kuckservatives in the first place!

She has certainly joined a group containing many Islamophobes.

Would be better off in the Lib Dems, make them
more diverse too.

 

[shaz619]

She has certainly joined a group containing many Islamophobes.

Would be better off in the Lib Dems, make them
more diverse too.

Ah yes the Liberal £9,000 yer year Dems.

Were it not for that maybe they’d have the vote of all the youth they buried many years ago because the Tories are not an option at all and Labour has isolated young people and the minorities; perhaps the Greens will be a good option for those who got no choice but to vote and improve their credit file

 

[Robert]

Ah yes the Liberal £9,000 yer year Dems.

Were it not for that maybe they’d have the vote of all the youth they buried many years ago because the Tories are not an option at all and Labour has isolated young people and the minorities; perhaps the Greens will be a good option for those who got no choice but to vote and improve their credit file

LDs had the opportunity to reboot with Layla Moran (young, telegenic, mixed race Brit-Palestinian) but went for another grey white man instead. Bad mistake.

Anyway, back to Tory Islamophobia.

 

[DeadlyVenom]

Interesting article from Peter Oborne that MIG posted. If more Tories were like him I'd vote conservative every time - his love for Pakistani cricket is just the icing on the cake.

 

[Robert]

Interesting article from Peter Oborne that MIG posted. If more Tories were like him I'd vote conservative every time - his love for Pakistani cricket is just the icing on the cake.

It’s quite odd to me that Oborne is in the Tory fold. He’s definitely an outlier in that party, particularly these days, and I’m surprised that he recommended them to Ghani.

 

[James]

I like Peter Oborne but he can’t possibly pretend that he is a conservative anymore, his views are more left leaning nowadays.

 

[MenInG]

However, an investigation by the prime minister's ethics adviser, Sir Laurie Magnus, identified some "shortcomings" in Mr Spencer's behaviour towards Ms Ghani.

Ms Ghani said in response to the report that there was "no criticism or doubt expressed regarding my version of events".

"Others will have to explain the report noting the 'omissions', 'shortcomings', 'incomplete information', 'inaccurate briefings' and claims 'implied without evidence' in their actions and story," she said.

Sir Laurie had been investigating claims made by Tory MP Nusrat Ghani that she was sacked as a government minister after her "Muslimness was raised as an issue".

Ms Ghani, who lost her position in the February 2020 reshuffle, claimed last January that she had been told by a whip, whom she did not identify, that her "Muslim woman minister status was making colleagues feel uncomfortable".

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/ukne...p&cvid=162bd813a6594f84b729be7e93e103d8&ei=24