March 6, 2020
London: The UKs human rights watchdog was facing mounting pressure to investigate the Conservative Party for Islamophobia after being handed a fresh dossier detailing allegations against more than 300 members of Britain’s ruling party.
The Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) added claims about MPs, party members, councillors and advisers to Prime Minister Boris Johnson in the document it submitted on Thursday to the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), according to a report published by the Metro newspaper.
The dossier also reiterates allegations of Islamophobia against the Prime Minister.
MCB Secretary General Harun Khan said the Conservatives have a “systemic and widespread” Islamophobia crisis and accused the party of “denial, dismissal and deceit”.
He criticised the EHRC for having “failed to give any response” to its first formal call for the watchdog to investigate last May and urged it to take swift action.
Allegations of anti-Muslim prejudice have long dogged the party, but a Conservative spokeswoman insisted on Thursday that there was a “robust approach to discrimination of any kind”, adding that it “consistently takes decisive action” to deal with incidents of hatred, the Metro newspaper reported.
They have committed to an inquiry into all forms of discrimination within the party but have resisted calls to set up an independent inquiry into Islamophobia specifically, the spokeswoman added.
The MCB, which represents mosques, schools and charitable associations, handed its first document to the EHRC in May detailing about 150 individuals it believes have displayed Islamophobia or made anti-Islam or anti-Muslim comments.
