Law against religious discrimination needed, says Muslim minister

By Jon Swaine
Last Updated: 2:53PM BST 16 Sep 2008

Sadiq Khan, a Government whip, said that the forthcoming Single Equality Act, which could force public bodies to actively promote equality on grounds of gender, race and disability, must also tackle religion and end “Islamophobia in the workplace”.

Mr Khan, who is one of four Muslim Labour MPs, said a “laissez faire approach to Britishness” had led to Muslims feeling like “second-class citizens” and being denied good jobs. He said this was fuelling alienation and the rise of extremism.

“Without equal opportunities, integration stands little chance,” said Mr Khan. He claimed that “anecdotal reports” suggested Muslims were being blocked from progressing up the career ladder because of their religion.

In a pamphlet published by the Fabian Society, Mr Khan argued that a combination of improved rights and enhanced responsibilities among British Muslims was needed in order to “reconnect” them with the rest of society.

“This is a relationship of two sides. British Muslims also need to step up to the plate,” he said.

“All of us must unequivocally agree that honour killings are murder and forced marriages are kidnapping,” Mr Khan said, adding that British Muslim women must be given freedom.

He said that all immigrants should learn to speak English and that Labour must take on “much of the liberal left”, who say that requiring them to do so “breaches the boundaries of personal autonomy.”

“The requirement to learn English is not colonial,” said Mr Khan. “English is a passport to participation in mainstream society – jobs, education and even being able to use health services.”

He added that the teaching of British history must be compuslory in schools in order to make all children “understand who they are.”

Mr Khan used the pamphlet to attack the Conservatives’ claim to be the most forward-thinking party on Muslim issues. He said a “cynical Tory Party” was mounting an “opportunistic courtship” of Muslim voters.

He suggested that David Cameron, the Conservative leader, had only promoted Baroness Warsi, who is Muslim, to the shadow cabinet for symbolic reasons, to mask the fact that there are no Muslim Conservative MPs and that his Muslim candidates are given “hopelessly unwinnable seats”.

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