London’s Muslim Mayor [updated]

 

Commentators around the globe have leapt on the victory of a London Muslim in the London mayoral election as “the beginning of the end" for the west. The first electoral sign of the “demographic deluge” that (in an echo of Progressives Past) alt-right loonies and tantrum-throwing Trumpeters tar as “race suicide.”

Contrary to what many critics both foreign and domestic have argued, it could be however that

the victory of London’s new mayor as a non-Islamist Muslim is as much a blow to Islamist bigots as it is to anti-Muslim bigots. This victory speaks to the possibilities of integration. It offers hope for our country’s new immigrant families. And as a symbol of social mobility, it provides aspiration to those from humble backgrounds.
    Sadiq Khan’s victory is probably the only bit of good news [from Britain’s local government elections that] Jeremy Corbyn’s far-left-led Labour Party can truly celebrate….

Says Maajid Nawaz, author of that paragraph – a former Islamic radical who renounced jihad and today promotes a Secular Islam – holds that

Sadiq Khan is no Muslim extremist. And it is not only his track record voting for gay rights that proves this. Having known him when I was a Muslim extremist, I know that he did not subscribe to my then-theocratic views.
    Many conservatives who desperately opposed Khan jumped the shark when they called him a “radical Islamist,” and linked him to sensationalist headlines that declared he had a“hardcore Islamist past.” Nuance is the friend of truth.

So, what about the claims of Islamist association that were raised during the campaign?

In deference to the seriousness of the subject, and the lives lost over it, what came up about Khan’s alleged links to extremists is pertinent. Those questions needed to be asked. I cannot emphasise enough that I write as a liberal, who voted for a Liberal Democrat in this race, and not as a conservative. So now that the election is over, and London has its first Muslim mayor, let us step back and consider the smoke to this conservative fire.

Nawaz offers abundant detail, noting against him however that

Khan is no Muslim extremist. Indeed, this cannot be repeated enough. Nor can the fact that Khan clearly has a record of terribly poor judgment in surrounding himself with Islamists and Muslim extremists, and in using them for votes.

But that doesn’t make him either a terrorist or a terrorist sympathiser; it simply means he’s a modern politician – for which he should be roundly criticised.

Nor does his electoral victory mean the end of western civilisation. It simply shows again that western civilisation embraces all who choose to embrace it.

UPDATE: A good start:

There is no greater responsibility for a Mayor of London than keeping Londoners safe.
It's a responsibility that I take extremely seriously.
London faces a deadly threat from extremism, radicalisation and terrorism.
It’s a threat that I will act to tackle as Mayor.
I will be the British Muslim who takes the fight to the extremists.
Who ensures London has the response capability we need to keep Londoners safe.
Who backs police to do what is necessary during terrorist attacks.
And who acts to tackle the underlying conditions that allow extremism and radicalisation to take root…
* * *
The appalling reality is that a growing number of people in London are being indoctrinated and radicalised into a perverse and disgusting ideology.|
Extremists are exploiting the young, the vulnerable and the weak.
It is online grooming by any other name.
Extremism is a cancer eating away at our society and it is a problem that is getting worse.
Neither the Government, nor our wider society are doing enough to tackle extremism and radicalisation.
Young British children are still being tricked into running off to join Daesh in Iraq and Syria.
Like the three school girls from Bethnal Green who ran off last year to marry terrorists in Syria.
As a Dad, I worry about my daughters
And that’s a fear that I know is shared by many parents in London.
* * *
I’ve always been open about the fact that I have seen the hatred and venom of the extremists up close.
I started my mayoral campaign with a speech in which I talked about how the extremists have targeted me and my family because of our mainstream British views.
Extremists have protested at local Mosques in Tooting and told people I’ve known since I was a boy – my friends and neighbours – that I am going to hell because I believe in democracy.
They have criticised me for taking part in what they call ‘man made laws’ and said that anyone who votes for me will be going to hell too.
I had death threats from extremists when I voted for same sex marriage. I had to discuss police protection with my young daughters – something that no parent should have to do.
It’s what makes me so determined to tackle extremism.
And why I unashamedly say today, that I will be the British Muslim who takes the fight to the extremists.
**
I’ll act to keep Londoners safe.

And

As Mayor, I will be the British Muslim who takes the fight to the extremists. I will keep focusing on keeping Londoners safe, and my positive vision for London's future – most importantly fixing the Tory housing crisis.

RELATED POSTS:

• “Despite some concerns, Khan is not an Islamist, and is less offensive than the vile old Castro-phile Ken Livingstone, but he has had poor judgment with those he associated with…
      “More importantly, neither Sadiq nor Zac have any clue how to make a significant difference to the policies that the Mayor of London has powers to change, and which are the biggest London-centric issues the city faces.”
  Three elections, none are likely to please: 1. London election – LIBERTY SCOTT

.RELA