Cultural diversity is his motto .. This is how the Muslim mayor of London reaps his growing popularity

The saying that “power eats away at the popularity of its owner” may not apply to London Mayor Sadiq Khan, who has been sipping 4 years at the helm of the most important city in the United Kingdom and the largest financial center in the world.

The mayor of Muslim origin, after completing 4 years of his first term, is running a fierce election campaign to win a second term.

Opinion polls showed that Sadiq Khan is steadily moving towards staying in office, and this was confirmed by the latest survey of voter opinions in London conducted by Redfield & Wilton Strategies, which showed that 49% of voters will put their confidence in the man again. .

On the other hand, other polls reported that Sadiq Khan could win more than 50% of the vote, which makes him able to win the election race in its first stage for the first time in the country's history.

Sadiq Khan is the first mayor of Muslim origin to hold this position in London.

But what makes him special is his ability to express his cultural background without an inferiority complex, and at the same time celebrate the cultural diversity in the British capital, and his slogan has always been that London is "the greatest and most diverse city in the world."

Perhaps Sadiq Khan's philosophy in dealing with the issue of cultural diversity is what made him close to the Muslim minority and other minorities, unlike other politicians with Muslim origins, and they spared no effort to evade this background, as was the case with the former Interior Minister Sajid Javid, who was not He misses an opportunity to confirm that he is not Muslim.

Khan at the tennis court in Wimbledon (Getty Images)

Annoying Mayor Johnson

Sadiq succeeded in reaching the mayoralty of the City of London after Boris Johnson left this position, which made the comparison between the two men's results always present, and the majority of Londoners do not keep good memories of Johnson in the office of mayor.

Perhaps the comparison between the performance of the two men tilts Sadiq Khan.

This rivalry between the two men and the difference in their political orientations affected the relationship between them after Johnson assumed the presidency of the government, and the dispute reached its extent in the position on Brexit from the European Union, where Sadiq Khan was one of the most vocal opponents of the idea, while Johnson is one of the godfather of this project.

The first visit of US President Donald Trump to Britain was a moment of defiance between Johnson and Sadiq Khan, when the mayor announced that he would not cover the red carpet of the US president, which made the latter describe him as one of "the most failing of London."

The Corona crisis was not without a conflict between Johnson and Sadiq Khan, when the British Prime Minister decided to exclude the mayor of the most important city in the country from the emergency committee, in addition to their differences regarding the need to expedite the closure of the country.

In all confrontations with Johnson, Sadiq Khan emerges politically victorious, as he is a Labor mayor and has remained steadfast under 3 conservative governments, and so far, he has succeeded in achieving great progress in the poll results over his conservative rival Shaun Bayley.

The Conservative Party will be deprived of the most important city in the country, despite the overwhelming majority that they have in Parliament. However, political analyzes in Britain are directed towards the fact that whoever rules London controls a huge and important electoral reservoir.

Sadiq Khan (left) during a campaign to promote a movie in London (Reuters)

Political ambition

Sadiq, upon his arrival to the post of Mayor of London, did not find it difficult to present himself to the British and London public opinion in particular, given the tasks he had previously performed as a parliamentarian and made him a well-known and beloved political face in London.

In this regard, Mona Ishaq - the Labor Party candidate in the municipal elections and currently working in Sadiq Khan's election campaign - says that the man "won the respect of Londoners during his parliamentary work, because he is a man who fulfills what promises and enjoys great effectiveness in achievement."

Regarding his relationship with Muslims, Mona, who previously worked with Sadiq Khan on many political stations, describes him as "a symbol for all Muslims, given his distinguished political path, and also for his ability to transform the city of London into a permanent festival for all minorities without fanaticism."

A member of the Council of Kensington stresses the "total respect that Sadiq Khan shows for the laws of the state and its political system," adding that what makes him a figure of political weight is his ability to withstand in light of the conservative tide in all countries, which expressed himself in the recent elections, and got Conservatives of the overwhelming majority, "And standing firm in the face of the blows from the conservatives is in itself an impressive success."

Regarding his position within the Labor Party, Mona Ishaq distinguished between two phases, the first phase when Jeremy Corbin was the leader of the party, where his relationship with Sadiq Khan was tense, and he was not satisfied with his access to the position of mayor of London, "because Corbin believes that Sadiq Khan represents the right wing in the party, That is why the dispute between them always existed, which affected Sadiq Khan's position in the party even.

The same spokeswoman expects that the situation will change with the change of leadership of the Labor Party and the arrival of Kerr Starmer, as there is harmony between him and Sadiq Khan, "which means that his star will shine more within the party, and perhaps he will assume more positions if the Labor Party reaches the government."

By following the path of Sadiq Khan, it appears that the Mayor of London knows very well how to bypass political storms with his success in all his battles within the Labor Party with Corbin, and also with Prime Minister Boris Johnson, and finally his success in maintaining high popularity among Londoners despite the Brexit and Corona crises.