Alwaght- History was made at London’s mayoral elections, or so Western headlines are declaring. But amid all the commotion of the first Muslim ever to win such a position in the UK, something is amiss.
Sadiq Khan has been elected as London's first Muslim mayor. But the news has been blown out of proportion, it seems, considering the extent of Khan’s adherence to Islamic principles. Technically, Khan does not represent general Islamic values just because he says he is a practicing Muslim.
In fact, some observers believe that Khan’s election serves to make the nation believe in a freedom that does not exist, and in equality that is only a façade that covers up the tenets of policy-making. In short, making the public believe that anyone can hold a high post in the UK, including Muslims, may be part of a plan to universalize the concept of Western democracy. But the question here is, would Khan have ever made it this far were he a devout Muslim, who shares the same values as more than one billion others around the world?
Supporting gay marriage is one extreme example of unIslamic acts that Khan has carried out.
According to UK-based Daily Mail, "London's first Muslim mayor Sadiq Khan is the proud son of a Pakistani-born bus driver who considers himself so liberal he backed gay marriage and even launched his campaign in a pub".
Khan has also taken a controversial stance against Ken Livingstone by calling for his removal from the Labor part for “anti-Semitism”, knowing how sensitive this issue is for Muslims who are constantly facing this as an excuse to prevent them from speaking up against the occupying Israeli regime.
Khan “could not have done more than he has to address the concerns of the Jewish community on anti-Semitism and engage with it — from attending a mock seder where he donned a kippah to meeting charities and kosher shoppers in north London,” Justin Cohen, news editor for London’s Jewish News, told JTA Friday.
Furthermore, the new mayor has shown an inconsistent stance toward the Israeli regime. In 2009, Khan called on ministers to impose sanctions against Tel Aviv. However, this stance has not lasted long as he has drastically changed his rhetoric since then and shifted to lobbying against boycotts.
“The evidence clearly shows that boycott, sanctions and divestment against Israel do not help us achieve peace – we must not turn our face against Israel,” he said.
This shows his non-committal policy toward Muslims causes which distances him from his Islamic milieu.
On the other hand, Khan has kept a low profile when it comes to condemning Islamophobia.
In light of these conditions, it looks like history has not changed much in the UK even with a Muslim mayor leading London. Clearly, by distancing himself from key Islamic values, Khan was able to secure a prominent post in a world where it would have been otherwise impossible.
