Why do Muslims fear election seasons?

Al Jazeera Net-London

Muslims in Britain are following with concern dozens of comments and attitudes that are offensive to Islam and Muslims, attributed to members of the ruling Conservative Party, without moving the leadership of the party to hold its holders accountable.

As the early election campaign enters its decisive stages, Muslims fear they could become fatty material used by some politicians to woo voters in support of far-right ideas.

The issue of Islamophobia in the ranks of conservatives came to the fore after the Guardian revealed 25 tweets and posts by current and former Conservative voters, all expressing hateful views of Islam and Muslims calling them barbaric and calling for the closure of mosques, the return of Muslims to their country, and the link between Islam and terrorism.

The content of the tweets has been compiled into a single file and submitted to the party leadership for handling.

However, these racist attitudes did not move the party's higher bodies to open an investigation, despite promises made by a senior conservative minister, Michael Goff, to set up an independent commission to investigate anyone suspected of racist ideas against Muslims and that the committee would begin its work before the end of the year.

Observers believe that Boris Johnson, Prime Minister and Chairman of the Conservative Party, is delaying the formation of an independent commission of inquiry into the spread of Islamophobia in the ranks of the party, pending the date of the next elections scheduled for 12 of next month. BACKGROUND: The veiled women are likened to bank robbers or mailboxes. Johnson refused to apologize for the remarks.

The rise of anti-Muslim attitudes by conservative figures has become a concern not only among the Muslim community, but also among senior leaders of the ruling party, led by former conservative leader Saida Warsi, who confirmed the existence of many frightening indications about the party's approach to the policy of apartheid.

The Conservative Party has tried to push the charge of Islamophobia for itself, declaring a freeze on the membership of dozens of its members in the past few months after they were found to be involved in the dissemination of content inciting against Muslims on social networking sites.

Political battles
Wafik Mustafa, former head of the Arab Conservative Party, denies the charge of Islamophobia for the party that has spent 35 years, saying that this issue is "exaggerated and politicized for electoral purposes," pointing the finger of the opposition Labor Party for being behind the campaign to attach Islamophobia to the Conservative Party to win the sympathy of Muslims in the upcoming elections. ".

The ruling party member links the growing calls for an investigation into Islamophobia accusations within the party and the political goals of those who want to settle scores with Johnson to increase pressure on him and intimidate voters.

He believes that the prime minister's likeness to US President Donald Trump and his policies toward minorities "is wrong because Johnson has a high academic education, and Britain has strict laws and regulations to deal with all cases of racism and hate crimes."

He concludes that the focus on Islamophobia is "a response to accusations against the Labor Party of anti-Semitism, and therefore each party hits the chord of its opponent."

Mustapha, one of the oldest Conservative Muslims, admits that there is a real misunderstanding between the Conservatives and Muslims, saying that the Arab and Muslim communities focus heavily on the issues of the homeland "and do not show much enthusiasm to engage in public issues of interest to Britain." He adds that a large proportion of Muslim voters "adopt their position in the vote on the party's policies on foreign issues in Palestine, Iraq and other countries."

Legitimate concerns
In the face of reducing the risk of racist tide against Muslims within the Conservative Party, Mohammed Kuzbar, director of the Finsbury Park Park, sounded the alarm about "increasing incitement against Muslims."

According to Kasper, Johnson himself is involved in offensive remarks against Muslims, and on this basis is not expected to condemn such actions by members of his party, especially in the context of the election campaign "which could be a fuel to increase the mobilization against Muslims to attract the votes of the extreme right."

He denounces the conversion of Muslims to electoral material or antagonism "only because a large part of them vote for the Labor Party," he said. He stresses that every citizen is free to vote for the party he deems appropriate, surprising at the same time that the Muslims in the Conservative Party did not take the necessary actions to counter the spread of Islamophobia in the ranks of their institution.

Part of the media blamed what he called "turning a blind eye to this phenomenon while focusing only on anti-Semitism. The level of hatred against Muslims has reached unprecedented and frightening levels." Attempts are being made to normalize Islamophobia and to "include insulting Islam and Muslims in the field of freedom of expression while it should be included in hate crimes."

Kzbar is pessimistic about the possibility of a decline in this racist discourse, expecting to intensify as the elections approach "This poses a real threat to the safety of Muslims, especially women." "That is why we are always working to raise awareness among the community and put them in the form of risks surrounding them."