On Sunday, 15th December, a media report claimed that British Muslims have started leaving the UK amidst fears for their ‘personal safety’ following Boris Johnson's re-election as the country's Prime Minister.
Metro spoke to the head of a Muslim charity in Manchester, and a Labour candidate and British Economist among others about the subject. Manzoor Ali has been running the Barakah Food Aid charity in Greater Manchester for a decade now and it provides food parcels for poor people in the area. He said,
“My charity has been going on for 10 years, we’ve helped people from all walks of life, including former soldiers and white working class English people. ‘But I’m scared for my personal safety, I worry about my children’s future.’’
He further continued that Britain was his home and he didn’t know where else to go, but his family are in agreement that they should move to ensure their safety. This comes in light of the rampant islamophobia and racism related accusations made against the prime minister following a number of controversial comments he made in the past. This includes his remarks in a 2005 Spectator article in which he claimed it was only ‘natural’ for the public to be scared of Islam. Menwhile in his Telegraph column he had compared Muslim women to ‘letterboxes and bank robbers’. During the election canvassing period, he had insisted that his comments were taken out of context and he was defending the right of Muslim women to wear what they like. Additionally, he had also apologised for Islamophobia in the Conservative party, after a number of candidates shared posts by Tommy Robinson, referring to Muslims as “scum”.
“Since Boris Johnson won a majority I’ve had 5 different families discuss their UK exit plan with me in case racism gets worse. Frightening that this is where we are,” tweeted Labour candidate Faiza Shaheen.
