The new Home Secretary (pictured in Downing Street this week) highlighted the wave of vile abuse he has received since taking on his high-profile job
Sajid Javid has lashed out at trolls for jibing that he is ‘not Muslim enough’ after he rejected claims of widespread Islamaphobia in the Conservative Party.
The new Home Secretary highlighted the wave of vile abuse he has received since taking on his high-profile job.
He said he had been branded a ‘Coconut’ and ‘Uncle Tom’, and some people had even questioned whether he was ‘really Muslim or not’.
The comments, at a meeting of the cross-party group on British Muslims last night, come amid a bitter row over whether the Tories have failed to deal with allegations of Islamophobia.
The Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) demanded an inquiry into ‘racists and bigots’ in the Conservative Party last week, highlighting a series of alleged incidents involving activists.
Mr Javid – a non-practising Muslim – hit back over the weekend, pointing out that he had been made Home Secretary in a Tory government.
He also questioned whether the MCB was a legitimate voice for the Muslim community.
Jeremy Corbyn sparked disbelief yesterday by adding his voice to calls for an inquiry into the incidents – even though he himself has face an outcry for failing to tackle anti-Semitism in Labour.
Speaking at the event last night, Mr Javid insisted ‘Muslims come in all shapes and sizes’.
‘Since becoming Home Secretary, I’ve been called a Coconut, an Uncle Tom and much worse,’ he said.
‘And some people even question whether I’m really Muslim or not. Some say I’m too Muslim, others say I’m not Muslim enough. I can’t keep up.
‘But there’s one thing I do know about being a Muslim in Great Britain today.
‘And that is that I have the freedom to define myself, not Muslim extremists or the far right.
My relationship with God is my business. Just as yours is.’
Mr Javid added: ‘I don’t think there’s anything to be gained by attacking one another for being more or less Muslim.
‘Instead, we should celebrate our different connections to such a generous and compassionate faith.’
Muslim Council of Britain general secretary Harun Khan wrote to party chairman Brandon Lewis demanding an investigation into Isamophobic incidents
Jeremy Corbyn (pictured on a visit to a London mosque this week) called for an inquiry into the Tories despite himself being under intense pressure following a wave of anti-Semitism among Labour activists