170. Laila Cunningham is right
Last week, Laila Cunningham was announced as Reform’s candidate for the 2028 London mayoral elections.
In her very first speech, she said that no one should cover their face in an open society, and it has to be assumed that if you’re hiding your face, you’re hiding it for a criminal reason.
She further said that women wearing the burqa should be subject to stop and search.
Cunningham is right when she says that if you go to parts of London, it does feel like a Muslim city, as the signs are written in a different language. She said there should be one civic culture, and it should be British.
Cunningham, herself, is the ex-prosecutor for the Crown Prosecution Service, a British-born Muslim of Egyptian heritage, and she also faced Islamophobic abuse following her appointment to lead the right-wing party’s election campaign in London.
Muslim Women’s Network UK has explicitly condemned her remark, describing it as dangerous and a subtle signal to racists. They emphasized that such comments could deepen the separation of Muslim women. The organization stated that it sends a message to Muslims that they are outsiders.
London’s mayor, Sadiq Khan, said Cunningham is trying to sow seeds of division and that it was the job of a mayor to bring people together.
Although on a political map it may look like a divisive idea being deliberately pumped into society for electoral gain, Cunningham is telling the truth. A truth that is right for any country.
Remember Boris Johnson’s remark comparing veiled Muslim women to letterboxes, which triggered a spike in anti-Muslim attacks and abuse incidents.
I agree that what anyone wears is no business of the state and that individuals have the freedom to choose, but only at home, not in public places.
Burqas in public places must be banned. And about Sadiq Khan and his politics, the less said the better. I completely agree with Donald Trump's statement about him.
Just to remind, in an interview with Politico, Trump said, “If you look at London, there's a mayor named Khan. He’s a terrible mayor—uninformed, vicious, and disgusting. I believe he has done a poor job. London is different. I hate to see this happen.”
Sadiq Khan doesn’t represent London; he represents Muslims settled in London from different countries, whose number is increasing every year.
It happens with Islam; wherever its followers become a majority, they only create problems. In Assam, the Chief Minister has announced that his party will not contest the next election in 22 constituencies.
His reasoning is clear – we wouldn’t get votes because in these places Muslims are in the majority, and they will vote only for an Islamic party. Yes, India has Islamic parties, well recognised by the Election Commission.
Laila Cunningham may be a British-born Muslim of Egyptian heritage, but we must agree with her when she's right. And she is right, without a doubt.