To ask if it's a good thing that London has a Muslim mayor

[DoesFlossfloss]

Because my London based in-laws are not happy and I've not been following the campaign as I'm not in London so don't really care. However, we're seeing PILs this weekend and it will be up for discussion.

I asked this question from Zac in his web chat and I knew he won't answer it at all. But I never saw myself as a proper lady anyway. I am mean

Neither candidate's skin colour or social class should be vilified - but it seems that not everyone believes that

And I also appreciate a rather handsome mayor after enduring 8 years of BoJo's hair. The new mayor has style.

Boris set the bar too low.

Ken didn't help either.

I am surprised that there are so many people on MN ready to make negative assumptions about someone based on their family, religious and cultural background , rather than what they say and do.

Prejudice in action.

And neither Sadiq nor Nadya come from national / cultural backgrounds where FGM is practiced. Was Boris, or is Dave, or Mary Berry, expected to grandstand about the awfulness of the Westboro Baptists? Because if not we have racism and islamophobia in the expectation that Nadya or Sadiq should take these things on.

Being a feminist I'm appalled

translates as 'Being a bigot I'm appalled'.

First of all, I really don't know what him being a muslim has to do with anything - he has been elected Mayor of London, not been asked to lead the Church of England...

I'm really hopeful for the future with Sadiq as mayor. He was my MP up until a couple of years ago and was the best one I have ever dealt with - visible, available and responded to letters / emails / issues.

I don't think your analogy goes far enough, Blu. Was it expected that Cameron (who describes himself as a practising Christian) would be like the Westboro Baptists and be bound to introduce their ideas into the running of the country?

I'm fairly anti-religion. (90%)

I'm not racist (100%)

I'm Tory (90%)

I wish Kahn hadn't won. My reasons for thinking that have nothing to do with the colour of his skin and are purely political. At the same time, I think he will be a great mayor.

His religion, for me, counts slightly against him but no more than if he was any other religion as thye're all as bad as each other.

I'm delighted that the UK has shown it can look beyond skin colour and religion and I think in the current political climate, a strong Muslim mayor can show that people aren't defined by their religious beliefs.

Having read some comments from American news sites unless he shines his way to top of gherkin plants a ISis flag Znd rules all women must wear the burka it's going to be a disappointing week!

Meanwhile poor Sadiq have meetings about cycle lanes or another threatens tube strike and the world will keep turning

SK appears to have eliminated his previous ties with extremists. However, he definitely did have such ties in the pastFOA being one of these. Not all of these links were things that he was forced to be associated with due to being a human rights lawyer. He was not in any way obliged by the nature of his job to co-sign that appalling letter after 7/7-but he did.

news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/4786159.stm

I'd advise anyone who would be interested in reading a bit more about SK's former associations to read this link here

jacobinism.blogspot.jp/2016/05/labours-impoverished-expectations.html

and this site.

hurryupharry.org/2016/05/03/labours-impoverished-expectations-or-why-i-cannot-join-the-centre-left-in-voting-for-sadiq-khan/

People do change their views over time and SK may have changed his since the time of the aforementioned associations (or, on the other hand, he may not); record in recent years has been very liberal, so I hope that he has.

But I do think that people have every right to ask questions about these kinds of things, without having the conversation immediately shut down with accusations of racism. It is that that is worrying me. If this was a Tory/UKIP guy who had had former links with predominantly-white terrorism-associated organizations, I think we'd all feel that at the very least we had a right to talk about this and ask the guy what was going on. Democracy is weakened when we cannot ask questions of our leaders without being shouted at.

I'll be watching and waiting to see what happens. but if I am honest, part of me is waiting for the first scandal to break. I don't think SK himself is a slimeball, but I am 100% sure that some of his little friends and allies are. Let's see what comes out of the woodwork over the next couple of years.

Do we even know what religion Ken it Boris are?

In order to stop ridiculous division in society we have to stop looking at religion or any other excuse to define us or others.

Look at the mess that was Lebanon, or is Iraq? Branches of the same religion killing each other.

Religion is irrelevant to day to day secular life. Gender, sexuality, Colour too. If we are good at our job, we are good at our public role/job, we stay, if not we go.

What if every colour/creed/religion/gender or sexuality other than white Angli Saxon, straight Christian suddenly weren't Here, who would be judged then? Cos with the stupid mentality of division, some poor bugger would be. The red headed? Those with glasses? Those with funny accents?

Enough.

Lets see how this man does his job as mayor.

"Religion is irrelevant to day to day secular life."

It should be irrelevant.

It often isn't. Depends on the person.

If I said "I wouldn't vote for Cruz because he is an evangelical Xian" I suspect that lots of people would be sympathetic to me, and wouldn't immediately start scolding me for being anti-evangelical Xian.

I don't think SK is a literalist Muslim. But based on his previous record, and based on the mosque he attends, I am pretty sure that there are people around him who are.

Yes, it is relevant.

Looks like Bristol is about to elect a black mayor. Whilst this isn't in any way newsworthy or surprising, it's wonderful that we are now a country who will elect non-white and non-Christian mayors. It gives me hope that the racists and bigots are in a minority. It doesn't always feel that way.

I am a londoner. I think it's fantastic that we have a brown muslim mayor. it was a big f*ck you to a frankly racist campaign led by the tories. could not be happier. and also he's a really nice chap ex-human rights lawyer without a comedy hairstyle.

All my old bigoted friends and I are very afraid.Just waiting for planning regs.to be passed for super mosques and nepotism in all spheres of civil service.

Sue us or shoot us for not buying the wonderful rainbow idea of a 'moderate' Muslim.Discussion is quickly shut down everywhere,and people made to feel bad for their views.Give your in laws the respect to at least hear them out.

Boris is sometimes found in a Guduwara in Ealing- he's wife is Sikh-I doubt Boris cares what religion anyone is.

In normal circumstances NO I wouldnt think it makes a blind bit of difference what the Mayors religion is/ was.

But we do have a massive issues with extremism in the UK, it is growing and one does wonder about that, and its right to wonder about it and question it.

The government is alienating young muslims in schools with their 'anti-extremism' strategies. Having a muslim mayor of London could be a positive thing for muslim Londoners who don't feel represented in public life and are constantly picked on about terrorism and fantasies about Sharia law

A Cleric recently declared the UK and London specifically as a brilliant place to be a Muslim. I also agree that its a good thing at the current time, that's if - Sadiq has been truthful about his links to extremists.

Sharia law is not a fantasy there is a vein of extremism in the UK, its abhorrent to try and deny it. We must all confront, challenge and extinguish it.

Why does it matter that he is a Muslim? What religion was Boris? I have no idea!

I will judge him on his actions not his religion.

And, as a muslim, what a pity he's not standing up for equality for muslim women, and making a public stand against muslim girls being forced to undergo FGM. He and Nadiya could both do that but they won't.

Oh for fucksake. You do realise that FGM is a cultural practice from Africa and NOT a Muslim thing, right? Khan is a Pakistani Muslim, as is Nadia. Actually she might be Bangladeshi, I'm not entirely sure, but FGM is not commonplace in either country.

It is a brilliant thing...shows the cou try is less racist then the shitty excuse for newspapers media would have you believe.

I for one think this is a great thing. Hos policies are the better options for me. His religion is not even a consideration.

Would they have worried if Zac had won and we had a Jewish mayor?

"Brown man held to account for all the actions of every brown person ever anywhere in the world"

In other news, David Cameron is not held accountable for his own actions, never mind those of his cabinet colleagues.

Good one Bert.