Nimco Ali: ‘Boris is a real feminist’

[Cwenthryth]

I find Nimco Ali (OBE) quite the enigma, I don’t understand her position, but maybe that’s the centrist/lefty in me. I recognise feminists can be right leaning too!

www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2019/06/07/backing-boris-real-feminist/

Telegraph paywall but if you sign up you can get 1 free article per week.

Is this Boris Johnson? In what world could he be a real feminist?

In the article, Nimco Ali explained that when Boris Johnson was the Mayor of London, she approached him on the street and asked him his views on FGM. She said he was shocked that such a thing could happen in this country and he gave her time, support, contacts and whatever other help he could so that she could raise awareness. No one else had given her so much as the time of day.

It's because the left is afraid of discussing misogyny which is rife in certain cultures for fear of offending people.

A lot of Muslim women have an issue with the left for that reason, not unreasonably.

Not that I think Johnson is a feminist.

Meh. Being outraged at the mutilation of little girls is kind of a baseline criterion for being human. It doesn't make you a feminist.

Being outraged at the mutilation of little girls is kind of a baseline criterion for being human.

Quite, but historically the left has refused to acknowledge the issue.

Johnson is a woman?

The revelations just don't stop today...

Quite, but historically the left has refused to acknowledge the issue.

Agree, along with girls being sent abroad for “holidays” to their Home Counties, and coming back married. This happened for decades and the schools/EAs ignored it for decades.

Yes. You cheat on your wife. Get a divorce and marry your mistress weeks later. Then having an affair which produces a child, which you lie about to your second wife and partner of your mistress about. And a court rules the public has a right to know you've fathered a child under these circumstances. Then you have another affair, and your second wife is currently divorcing you, whilst you shack up with yet another mistress.

And in the midst of the divorce proceedings you mate has the gaul to say you are a feminist.

Yes if Johnson is a feminism, I'm George Best.

I think it's worth listening to what she says. The left do close their eyes to these things. And some go further, too.

Not forgetting this
metro.co.uk/2017/08/23/mp-shares-tweet-saying-abuse-victims-should-shut-their-mouths-for-good-of-diversity-6872181/

I thought she was being ironic but her subsequent statements suggested otherwise.

I will happily listen to what she says. You dont have to think the left are any cop at all to be able to say Johnson is a self serving cockwomble.
Being aghast at FGM is baseline decent humanity. It shouldn't receive 'wow, what a feminist!' accolades, and the fact that the idea is entertained shows what an appallingly misogynist bunch of shits we have in the halls of power.

I don't hate Boris as much as some people appear to on here. I even think he could do some good if he becomes PM. Namely get us moving on Brexit, as May wasn't able to.

And no it isn't exactly a feminist stance to oppose FGM. It's the least one can expect from a decent human being.

I suppose people use the word feminist in somewhat different ways. That's fair enough in my view.

Can you use it about a guy who is dodgy about sex? That's an interesting question, I suppose my first thought is, could you use it about a woman who is dodgy about sex? I wouldn't tend to, personally. But I would say that there are probably a fair number of people who are theoretically ok, and even in general ok in most interactions, but are dodgy when it comes to their own sex lives. People often seem to mess up in that area when otherwise they are quite nice.

I'd not have thought of calling Boris a feminist myself, but I am glad he was kind to this woman.

Shame he didn't put as much effort in to Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe. Like actually finding anything out about her at all before opening his gob in Parliament.

I'm no fan of Jeremy Hunt, but at least he's doing his job as Foreign Secretary and trying to get her released.

Nimco is a friend of Boris' girlfriend.

And yes, agree with PP that it's appalling the bar is set so low that anyone should feel Johnson warrants applauding.

But it's not so low that Christopher Chope MP hasn't managed to fall at it. www.independent.co.uk/voices/christopher-chope-fgm-bill-blocked-house-commons-parliament-tory-a8770206.html

Maybe Johnson could use that as a strapline: "Boris Johnson. Probably less misogyist than Christopher Chope."

Brexit? Forgotten his lies during the referendum campaign, then.

I saw her comment and just pushed it to one side and thought there must be more to this.

But on the other hand she has no grounds to complain about lack of support as the Guardian promoted her (not of course because she was young and photogenic) as a brave new voice, when they knew (or certainly should know) that FORWARD was and still is a well established African women's organisation based in the UK that has been campaigning of the issue, and the related health problems of fistula for decades.

And far from the left not support the issue, the founder of the group was supported by leftist groups to get started. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Efua_Dorkenoo

It's not for me to comment as to whether women in need of support would prefer to talk / work with women from their own culture, ie I dont know if Daughters of Eve have a different slant than Forward, but I do know that many in the voluntary sector were taken aback by the Guardian sort of presenting Nimco Ali as a pioneer.

Maybe there was some issues of competing for the same grants.

But either way, trying to say Boris Johnson is a feminist is just implausible. Given his entrenched white male uppor class British privilege it is much more likely that he was thrilled to have an issue that would let him say how shocking it is that women from BME communities are so oppressed.

She's very pro Tory, to a nauseating level I admire her work but am bewildered by her Tory cheerleading.
It's interesting to compare her view of Johnsons contribution with Nazir Afzal's twitter.com/nazirafzal/status/1139898197273452

Fixed that link, JustAnotherWoman.

twitter.com/nazirafzal/status/1139898208581296128

1.I have great respect for what @NimkoAli has done but I cannot let this go unchallenged
When I was Acting Chief Prosecutor, London, 2008, I met with Afruca, the charity tackling harmful practices in African communities
They raised lack of progress on FGM
I wrote to Boris Johnson

2.I explained it needed London-wide multi-agency leadership
Weeks went by before I got a response from his office saying Boris considers it a police matter & nothing else
He copied Kit Malthouse, Deputy Mayor
He didn’t get back either
I then went to @metpoliceuk who did get it
‏
3.The Met were great, Project Azure was reignited to tackle FGM - still going today
Simultaneously I wrote article in @TheVoiceNews calling for action
NGOs courageously raised their voices
Boris may NOW have seen the light but I can assure you he did nothing to help when we asked

That IS interesting, JAW and Perking.

If both Nimco Ali’s & Nazir Afzal’s experiences are true - and I’ve no reason to doubt either - it sounds very much like Johnson was happy to listen/indulge what he probably saw as the pet project of a young (attractive) female activist, whilst at the same time failing to actually engage with major bodies that could make a real difference. Ali doesn’t actually say in her piece what it is that Johnson did - she wrote ‘He and his team at City Hall went on to work with me over several years to inform people about FGM and help protect girls in London. I will never forget his kindness, dedication and commitment to helping me....Boris gave me the confidence to speak up. He listened. He not only helped me find my voice, but has also continued to support my work over the years’.

I wonder how/if she will respond to Afzal.

Yes, her cheerleading for 'Boris' (do we call anyone else by their first name? We certainly didn't with Theresa) made me reconsider following her on Twitter. Like Jameela Jamil's constant gender-obsequiousness. I really don't have to add to the followers numbers of people with such cognitive dissonance

I think from her perspective he probably is - she is very concerned and involved with a particular issue, and he has behaved in a feminist way over that particular issue (ie, he gave a shit when others didn't.)
On other issues he is much less feminist. Boris is quite good at elevating a particular issue when he wants to (wether that's something I agree with him on like FGM or a stupid vanity project like the garden bridge). I wouldn't object to him much if he was a columnist/minor politician. He is capable of hearing an idea/issue out, and throwing his weight behind it which has its place.
But he is completely unsuited to a major leadership role. Not because he is un-feminist but because he is lazy, arrogant and completely incapable of weighing up difficult decisions with judgement and proper reasoning. He's a simplistic "big ideas," sweep in, spend the money, grab the glory person.