Boris Johnson burka comments: Muslim Tory peer 'suffered vile racist abuse after complaining about remarks'

Boris Johnson is facing increasing backlash over the comments
AFP/Getty Images
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The Conservative Muslim peer who complained about Boris Johnson’s burka comments revealed today that he has suffered a torrent of racist abuse as a result.

Lord Sheikh disclosed he has been called “a black bastard” and “an effing foreigner” and told “go back to your country”. The founder of the Conservative Muslim Forum, 77, said he had also received emails containing “vile abuse” about the Prophet Mohammed that he could not bring himself to repeat or describe in detail.

In an interview with the Evening Standard, he said he held the former foreign secretary responsible for giving “oxygen” to racists with his inflammatory newspaper column about Muslim women who cover their faces with the veil. “Boris Johnson has let the genie out of the bottle and this genie is causing a lot of harm to race relations in this country,” the peer said.

“What he has done, whether he realised it or not, is very unpleasant. I believe in building bridges and fostering harmony between people and faiths. But what Boris Johnson has done is give oxygen to people who want to cause problems.

“His remarks were inflammatory, they encourage bigotry and they are not good for race relations.”

Born in Kenya in 1941, Lord Sheikh moved with his family to London where he trained in insurance, rising to found his own companies. He was made a life peer in 2006.

He made headlines this week by revealing that he had written to Conservative chairman Brandon Lewis to seek “severe” action against Mr Johnson, including the withdrawal of the Tory whip.

Boris Johnson is under mounting pressure to apologise for his comments about the burqa
AFP/Getty Images

In the following two days, the peer said he received 76 emails, 15 of which supported him. “The rest were not nice at all,” he said.

“They were vile, they were nasty and some were really obscene. We had five emails which used obscene and abusive language concerning Prophet Mohammed, peace be upon him, using foul language and calling him all sorts of names.

“Even to repeat the words used aloud would feel wrong to me.”

He explained: “I don’t mind people criticising me — I am a British politician and a democrat. But to bring in Prophet Mohammed into the equation is totally wrong. They have sworn at me, called me a ‘black so-and-so’, ‘go back to your own country’, ‘what are you doing here’ and ‘you should be expelled not Boris Johnson’.

Placards at a protest over the remarks read 'my dress my choice' and 'back off Boris'
PA

“I don’t mind being subject to criticism because this is a free country where free speech is allowed. This is my home, it is where I live.

“Using foul language, telling me I am an uneducated sod, or that I don’t speak properly or cannot pronounce words properly, they can say all that because it is a free country.”

In his article, Mr Johnson opposed a ban on the burka and niqab but said the face coverings made women look like “bank robbers” and “letterboxes”.

The row within the Tory party over his remarks rumbled on today.

Former leader Iain Duncan Smith said he was “surprised” that the party had launched a formal investigation, as revealed by the Standard yesterday. He added: “I don’t think an internal party system should be there to shut down MPs when they speak,” he said.

Former deputy prime minister Lord Heseltine said: “There are two possible explanations [for Mr Johnson’s article]. One is that it was a bad joke, in which case I can’t see why he cannot just explain that and apologise. The other is that he knew exactly what he was doing and is culpable.”

The Prime Minister, Mr Lewis and Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson have all urged Mr Johnson to apologise. Mr Johnson, who is reportedly on a villa holiday in Italy, has not commented.

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