Sadiq Khan made history as London’s first Muslim mayor tonight…
Mr. Khan, a former Labour cabinet minister, became Britain’s most powerful Muslim politician when he defeated the Conservative candidate Zac Goldsmith by a landslide…
The Conservatives’ tactic of accusing Mr. Khan of ‘legitimising’ extremist views failed to win over voters in the capital, and was described as a ‘vile smear’ by the Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.
(London Telegraph, May 6, 2016)
This is not quite as historic and transformative as America electing its first black president; but it is both of those things all the same. In fact, Khan is the first Muslim to be elected mayor of any major city in Western Europe, making him the most powerful Muslim politician in the EU.
I hasten to clarify that, but for Obama’s liberal/progressive politics, I would not have celebrated his election in 2008 with such enthusiasm and hope. And, but for Khan’s kindred politics, I would not be celebrating his election today in similar spirits. Indeed, it is noteworthy that he proudly channeled Obama when he hailed his election as a triumph of hope over fear and unity over division.
Yet there’s no denying the symbolism and significance of Khan’s election; not least because it defies the impression that London is becoming Islamophobic. Of course, this impression stems from the Conservative UK government doing so little to assimilate a fair share of the Muslim migrants who are fleeing to Europe, in unending droves, from civil strife in places like Syria, Iraq, Somalia, and Libya.
On the other hand, here’s a little sense of the racist pandering that doomed Goldsmith: He attended the Asian Awards in London last month. And, eager to counter the narrative of racism that was dogging his mayoral campaign, he began blathering to the press about how much he loves everything Bollywood.
He seemed to be begging for follow up questions. Which is why it was as incomprehensible as it was damning that, when a reporter asked him to name his favorite Bollywood film or actor, he squirmed (as his face turned progressively red) before conceding that he could not … on either count.
I’ve seen the clip and, trust me folks, it’s cringeworthy. Even more so, in fact, than Donald Trump trying to counter the narrative of racism that is dogging his presidential campaign. Perhaps you’ve seen the picture he tweeted, on Cinco de Mayo, of him pretending to dig into some “Amerixican“dish called a taco bowl with the caption “I love Hispanics.” Despite an unprecedented record of campaign buffoonery, he still never ceases to make a spectacle of himself.
That said, Goldsmith’s sister, Jemima, deserves honorable mention for publicly criticizing him for trying to win by appealing to white xenophobes and outright racists. And, far from the customary dog-whistle, he and his Conservative cohorts used alarmist rhetoric to smear Khan. This is why I suspect her criticism was as influential as it was courageous. If only Trump’s sister(s) were so inclined….
But I am particularly heartened that, although Jemima targeted her brother, outgoing Mayor Boris Johnson probably suffered collateral damage. He, of course, is the Trump-lite buffoon who is campaigning to be the next prime minister.
More to the point, though, he acted like a Svengali who strutted his stuff throughout this mayoral campaign as if he could bequeath the office to his muse, Goldsmith. So here’s to Trump’s resounding defeat in November prefiguring Johnson’s in 2020.
Congratulations, Sadiq!
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Hail, Jeremy Corbyn…