Can the son of a Pakistani bus driver be the future mayor of London?

First Muslim MP Sadiq Khan believes electing a Muslim mayor of London would send strong message to haters

A son of a Pakistani bus driver and the first Muslim MP of London, Sadiq Khan, has said that a Muslim mayor for the city of London will send out a message to all 'the haters in Iraq and Syria' that the city is a 'beacon of tolerance and respect.'

“If Londoners decided to do that, the message it would send to the rest of the world would be quite awesome,” Sadiq told the Guardian, explaining his case why it would be helpful for the city to have a Muslim mayor.

Sadiq's statement comes days after a brutal terrorist attack on British tourists in Tunisia and ahead of the 10th anniversary of the 7/7 bombings next week.

Sadiq, who is the first Muslim MP to be elected in London, said the militants who killed 52 people on 7/7 were against British values and the British way of life, so electing a Muslim mayor would send a “phenomenal message and would say something about our confidence as a city”.

Read: 27 dead in Tunisia tourist resort attack

“The idea that the mayor of London could be the son of an immigrant, son of a bus driver, ethnic minority and by the way, of Islamic faith would speak volumes, particularly when you bear in mind 10 years ago these four men wanted to destroy our way of life," he added.

Further, Sadiq said, "The reality is that we are a beacon in all sorts of ways. I think it’s just worth thinking about the impact it could have. It shows the confidence of Londoners – that we don’t simply tolerate but respect each other."

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“What sort of message would it send if Londoners had the confidence, tolerance and respect to vote for someone of a different faith (from most of them)? I’m a Londoner first and foremost, but it would show the haters in Iraq and the haters in Syria what sort of country we are: a beacon. And I think the reality is sometimes you need cool, calm voices, which is what I’d hope to provide.”

During his interview, Sadiq did not criticise David Cameron or Theresa May, the home secretary, over their response to the terror attack in Tunisia or their policy on how to tackle extremism, because he believes their intentions were good.

However, Sadiq did recall his frustration with the reaction of Tony Blair to the 7/7 terror attacks, when the then-prime minister called in the newly elected MP and the three other Muslim Labour members of the House of Commons.

Sadiq Khan speaking during the London Labour hustings for the mayoral candidacy. PHOTO: YUI MOK/PA

“One of my criticisms of Tony Blair was when he called the four MPs of Islamic faith into No 10 and sat us round the table and said – to Mohammad Sarwar, Khalid Mahmood, Shahid Malik and myself – it was our responsibility,” Sadiq said.

“I said: ‘No, it’s not. Why have you called us in? I don’t blame you for the Ku Klux Klan. Why are you blaming me for the four bombers on 7/7?’ Which is why, after he called us in, and there were lots of cameras outside waiting to speak to us, my three colleagues spoke to the cameras and I walked away. This is a problem that is a mainstream problem for us all.”

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Sadiq noted that there had been in a change in attitudes since 7/7 and said he was proud of the sense of solidarity between Muslims and non-Muslims after the attack 10 years ago. He said that Londoners “got it” that there was no need for Muslims to apologise or say “not in my name”.

Addressing how the UK responded to the Tunisian terror attack, Sadiq said the short-term concern should be the victims and their families, while the long-term response should be maintaining good relations between the police and Muslim communities.

“Bearing in mind the anniversary of 7/7, 10 years on, we still have a case where a 17-year-old Yorkshireman is going to Iraq and blowing himself up, mums with children are going to Syria because they think it’s the land of milk and honey. We still have got huge problems here,” he said.

The Tooting MP said that as a parent of two teenage daughters he understood the home secretary’s aims when she said she wanted parents to report grooming by extremists to police.

“If, God forbid, I saw my nephews or nieces or children being groomed, I would report it to the authorities. I want action to be taken against those on the other side of the net and with the ISP [internet service provider] maybe. We need to make sure communities have the confidence to come forward. It is a challenge for the police to be approachable and are seen to treat people well,” he said.

Sadiq’s biggest concern is if the ‘grooming’ is taking place in the “ungoverned spaces – the bedroom, internet, front room” rather than in mosques and schools, where it could be addressed openly.

Read: UK launches crackdown on bogus Hajj travel packages

“That’s where we’ve got to give young people resilience, so if there’s a charismatic criminal with a perverse ideology trying to groom them, they can say: ‘Hang on, I know that’s not Islam, I know that’s not the way to get to heaven.’

“Just like if you’re the parent of young children not to take sweets from strangers, you teach young children not to be taken in by flattery in a chatroom.”