London has elected its first Muslim mayor

London has elected its first Muslim mayor

Sadiq Khan becomes first Muslim to head a major Western capital

By Dan Wooding, Founder of ASSIST News Service

LONDON, UK (ANS – May 7, 2016) -- After a bitter battle, Sadiq Khan, the son of a Pakistan-born bus driver, today (Saturday, May 7, 2016), became London’s first Muslim mayor, beating a Conservative challenger who attempted to link him to extremism and securing a much-needed win for his opposition Labour Party.

According to Reuters, Khan's victory, which also makes him the first Muslim to head a major Western capital, was confirmed shortly after midnight inside London’s futuristic glass and steel city hall following a day of mixed news for Labour in elections elsewhere in the country.

“Dealt a crushing blow in Scotland, where it came third behind the Scottish National Party and Britain's ruling Conservatives, Labour did better than expected in England, saving its left-leaning leader from an early challenge,” said the Reuters story.

“But the big prize was the London mayor vote, which pitted Khan, 45, who grew up in public housing in inner city London, against Conservative Zac Goldsmith, 41, the son of a billionaire financier.”

Khan said in a short speech after the results were announced, “This election was not without controversy and I am so proud that London has today chosen hope over fear and unity over division.

“I hope that we will never be offered such a stark choice again. Fear does not make us safer, it only makes us weaker and the politics of fear is simply not welcome in our city.”

Khan's 13.6 percent margin of victory over Goldsmith was the widest in a London mayoral election in 16 years, showing that an acrimonious campaign marred by accusations that Khan had links to extremists, and charges of anti-Semitism within Labour ranks, had failed to deter his voters.

The Labour lawmaker replaces Conservative Boris Johnson, who ran the city of 8.6 million people for eight years. A top campaigner for Britain to leave the EU, Johnson is seen as a contender to succeed David Cameron as party leader and prime minister.

Khan, looking exhausted after a much delayed result, made an emotional speech referencing his Pakistani father, who he said would have been “proud that the city he chose to call his home, has now chosen one of his children to be the mayor.”

Khan held his lead in the opinion polls, despite accusations by Goldsmith that he has shared platforms with radical Muslim speakers and given “oxygen” to extremists.

Khan says he has fought extremism all his life and that he regrets sharing a stage with speakers who held “abhorrent” views. The Labour Party accused Goldsmith and the ruling Conservative Party of smearing Khan.

Goldsmith denied the charge, saying he had raised legitimate questions over his opponent's judgment - but the tactics do seem to have backfired, with some voters interviewed by Reuters saying they found the campaign “disgusting and slimy.”

While fighting those charges, Khan, a former human rights lawyer, also distanced himself from the newly elected Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, after a row over anti-Semitism.

The Labour leader ordered an inquiry into charges of anti-Semitism after suspending Ken Livingstone, a political ally and a former London mayor, for saying Adolf Hitler had supported Zionism.

Sadiq Khan has now vowed to do all in his power to make London “better,” as he was sworn in as the new mayor.

Referring to his council estate [projects] roots, Mr Khan said he wanted all Londoners to have the same opportunities he has had.

It came as Defence Secretary Michael Fallon defended Conservative Zac Goldsmith's campaign, describing it as the “rough and tumble” of politics.

The much-criticized campaign questioned Mr Khan's alleged links to extremists.

Mr Khan beat Mr Goldsmith, by 1,310,143 votes to 994,614, giving him a larger personal mandate than either of his predecessors, Boris Johnson and Ken Livingstone.

He has announced he will step down as MP for Tooting, meaning a by-election will be held to elect a new representative in Parliament.

The former Labour minister's victory in London ends eight years of Conservative control of City Hall.

Mr Khan - who nominated, but did not vote for Mr Corbyn in the Labour leadership contest - said he was “not sure” why, adding: “We'll have to find out what he was doing.”

Burning ambition

As he was sworn in as London mayor in a ceremony in Southwark Cathedral, Mr Khan said: “I'm only here today because of the opportunities and helping hand that our city gave to me and my family. “My burning ambition for our city, that will guide my mayoralty, is to ensure that all Londoners get the opportunities that my city gave to me.

“I promise you I will always do everything in my power to make our city better. I will be a mayor for all Londoners,” he added.

He also pledged to lead “the most transparent, engaged and accessible administration London has ever seen.”

According to the BBC, several senior Conservatives - including former cabinet ministers Ken Clarke and Baroness Warsi - have, like Labour, voiced criticism of the way the contest was fought, while Mr Goldsmith's sister Jemima said it “did not reflect who I know him to be.”

But Defence Secretary Michael Fallon - who called Mr Khan a “Labour lackey who speaks alongside extremists” during the race - defended the Conservatives’ approach, saying it was legitimate to put a candidate under scrutiny.

“Both candidates were asked questions about their backgrounds, their personalities, their judgements, the people they associate with. That's the nature of our democracy and the rough and tumble of politics,” he said on BBC Radio 4's Today.

Repeatedly challenged over whether he believed Mr Khan was a security risk to London, Mr Fallon said: “London is safe with a Conservative government working with the new mayor of London.”

The BBC added that the new mayor did not have a privileged start in life. He was one of eight children born to Pakistani immigrants, a bus driver and a seamstress, on a south London housing estate.

From an early age, he showed a firm resolve to defy the odds in order to win success for himself and the causes important to him.

That resolve has won him the biggest personal mandate in the UK, a job with wide-ranging powers over London and with enormous emotional significance for him.

Some question whether he has the experience or record of good judgement necessary for the role, but he insists he is there to represent all Londoners and to tackle inequality in the capital, and now he has the chance to prove it.

Photo captions: 1) New Muslim mayor of London (AFP/Getty Images). 2) Boris Johnson, the previous mayor of London. 3) Newly elected Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, leaves his signing ceremony at Southwark Cathedral, central London, on May 7, 2016. (Reuters/John Stillwell/Pool). 4) Pro-Muslim supporters in London. 5) Dan Wooding recording a radio show.

About the writer: Dan Wooding, 75, is an award-winning winning author, broadcaster and journalist who was born in Nigeria of British missionary parents, and is now living in Southern California with his wife Norma, to whom he has been married for nearly 53 years. They have two sons, Andrew and Peter, and six grandchildren who all live in the UK. Dan is the founder and international director of the ASSIST News Service (ANS), and the author or co-author of some 45 books. Dan has a radio show and two TV shows, all based in Southern California.

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