Sadiq Khan elected Mayor of London

[Her]

https://www.bbc.com/news/election-2016-36232392
more in link

Sadiq Khan has been elected the new Mayor of London - boosting Labour after it slumped in Scotland's elections.
Mr Khan is the city's first Muslim mayor, after beating Tory Zac Goldsmith by 1, 310,143 votes to 994, 614.
The result bolsters leader Jeremy Corbyn after Labour were beaten into third in Scotland by the Tories and lost English councillors.
In Scotland, the SNP said it would form a minority government after winning its third election in a row.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon is celebrating what she said was an "emphatic" victory, her first as party leader, after the SNP emerged as the largest party at Holyrood with 63 seats, ahead of the Conservatives on 31 and Labour on 24.
But she played down talk of another independence referendum after falling short by two seats of an overall majority.

Jeremy Corbyn said Labour "hung on" and "grew support in a lot of places" across England.
In Wales, Labour remains as the largest party, with 29 out of 60 seats, but was denied a majority as Plaid Cymru and UKIP both made notable gains. Counting is continuing in Northern Ireland although it has been a good day so far for the DUP and Sinn Fein.
Mr Khan's victory ends eight years of Conservative control of City Hall. The former Labour MP and minister, 45, becomes London's third mayor after Mr Johnson and Ken Livingstone.
In his victory speech, Mr Khan referred to his humble origins on a council estate and said he had never imagined that "someone like me could be elected as mayor of London," promising to be a mayor "for all Londoners".
He said the campaign had not been without controversy, but added: "I am so proud that London has today chosen hope over fear".
He added that the "politics of fear is not welcome in our city".
Mr Khan took 1,310,143 votes after second preferences were taken into account, beating Conservative Zac Goldsmith into second place on 994,614. His tally gave him the largest personal mandate of any politician in UK history.
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn led congratulations on Twitter using the hashtag YesWeKhan and telling the new mayor: "Can't wait to work with you to create a London that is fair for all".

 

[gimmepie]

This is a positive thing. In a world plagued by irrational Islamophobia having a political figure of that faith achieve success and promoting positive messages is a huge bonus to the city.

 

[Thepokefansophia]

Well all I am going to say is Britain First and the English Defence League is going to hate this.

But I kinda like Boris he was quite entertaining although its not the purpose for being a mayor of London :I
Although I dont really like Labour at all honestly. Well I dont like any of the mainstream political parties because they`re all the same.

 

[Hikamaru]

Like Gimme said, Khan's appointment to Mayor is definitely going to bring a bit of fresh air and given this is a generation that is plagued by terrible things happening in Islamic countries, seeing an Islamic figure that promotes positive messages achieving a position like this will definitely help change the views of Islam.

 

[Spherical Ice]

Do you guys genuinely think a Muslim mayor is going to magically curb Islamaphobia?

The hashtag #LondonHasFallen is literally trending in the UK right now with a slew of Islamaphobic backlash, and this will honestly only fuel the anti-Islamic narrative of Muslims 'stealing' or 'invading' our country.

Khan winning is definitely a positive, don't get me wrong, and it's refreshing to see this result after the genuinely confounding Tory support of last year's general election, but I seriously doubt this will do anything for Islamaphobia in general.

 

[Midnight shadow]

Do you guys genuinely think a Muslim mayor is going to magically curb Islamaphobia?

The hashtag #LondonHasFallen is literally trending in the UK right now with a slew of Islamaphobic backlash, and this will honestly only fuel the anti-Islamic narrative of Muslims 'stealing' or 'invading' our country.

Khan winning is definitely a positive, don't get me wrong, and it's refreshing to see this result after the genuinely confounding Tory support of last year's general election, but I seriously doubt this will do anything for Islamaphobia in general.

Nobody expects a change overnight, and there will always be people who oppose this election no matter what happens afterwards. That said, it is a definite step in the right direction, just as it was when Obama was elected president in the US.

 

[zakisrage]

As a Muslim, this makes me happy, and it disproves the myth that all Muslims in Europe live on the fringes of society. I hope Khan does his job well.

Unfortunately, it is also true that this isn't going to get rid of prejudice or hostility against Muslims. It's like how when Americans elected Obama, anti-black racism didn't get curbed. I feel like that British National Party members might use this as an excuse to break the law. (The BNP is a vile group. I noticed that they seem to be obsessed with Muslim men who allegedly molested young white girls. Here in Australia, there's a similar party called the Australia First Party.) In many parts of Europe where Muslim politicians have been elected, right-wing supporters use it as an excuse that "Islam is taking over Europe". I agree, there are Muslims who are scumbags and lowlives, but they're outnumbered by Muslims who follow the laws and try hard to integrate.

 

[Somewhere_]

I hope people can actually rationally debate about his policies and judge him based on his merits and policies, not his religion. I expect people will be judging him because he is Muslim (apparently its already happening), but on the flip side, I hope defenders dont just call everyone who critiques him an Islamaphobe. Its anti-intellectual and stifles ideas and criticism.

My prediction is that him being mayor will not change anything, unless he preforms well. Because everyone seems to be staunchly anti-immigrant or pro-immigrant with no in-between, but I think people are starting to be more anti-immigrant.

 

[Her]

Do you guys genuinely think a Muslim mayor is going to magically curb Islamaphobia?

The hashtag #LondonHasFallen is literally trending in the UK right now with a slew of Islamaphobic backlash, and this will honestly only fuel the anti-Islamic narrative of Muslims 'stealing' or 'invading' our country.

Khan winning is definitely a positive, don't get me wrong, and it's refreshing to see this result after the genuinely confounding Tory support of last year's general election, but I seriously doubt this will do anything for Islamaphobia in general.

Oh no, I don't imagine people think any major changes will happen. But it's a nice spit in the face of Islamophobes, and arguably, an important win against those who condemn multiculturalism as a whole.

 

[Somewhere_]

Oh no, I don't imagine people think any major changes will happen. But it's a nice spit in the face of Islamophobes, and arguably, an important win against those who condemn multiculturalism as a whole.

I am against closed borders, and I say this question neutrally. But what is the appeal of multiculturalism? Why is it considered a virtue?

I have heard some valid arguments why multiculturalism is not a great thing. And they are not "Islamaphobes" or xenophobes.

 

[Her]

I am against closed borders, and I say this question neutrally. But what is the appeal of multiculturalism? Why is it considered a virtue?

I have heard some valid arguments why multiculturalism is not a great thing. And they are not "Islamaphobes" or xenophobes.

For London specifically, multiculturalism needs to be embraced if it is going to continue to be the global hub it is today. I believe I read something not that long ago about how when the London Olympics were happening, they had people from every competing country living there already. It's been such a hub of cultures the world over for so long that resisting the idea of multiculturalism is not only rather futile, but backwards. Diversity is a fact of life in a global world - total assimilation is not something people should be trumpeting. Variation in ideas, lifestyles and backgrounds enriches understanding and what not, I think that point has been trumpeted to death. I just think that if a person can obey their chosen country's laws and show willingness to understand the ideals of their chosen country, then that's all I can ask for. Assimilation shouldn't mean total cultural dilution.

 

[Kanzler]

I am against closed borders, and I say this question neutrally. But what is the appeal of multiculturalism? Why is it considered a virtue?

I have heard some valid arguments why multiculturalism is not a great thing. And they are not "Islamaphobes" or xenophobes.

I live in a city which is very diverse and multicultural. I'd like to think that we all get along regardless of our backgrounds. I think living in an environment better prepares you to interact with people different from you. I also think it makes us more resistant to the politics of fear and division, but I can't prove that. But think about it - if getting along with people who are different from you is a way of life, then you have less of the fear and the ignorance that the politics of division prey upon.

I think a Muslim mayor is inevitable for the UK. If you have 300+ years of history of colonizing the world, don't be surprised if the colonials eventually find themselves in your capital city.

 

[Caaethil]

English. No opinion on the guy, I'm not really into politics. What I can say, however, is that while I don't particularly like Islam, I'm not an Islamophobe. I don't dislike Muslims, just the religion, and I guess I wish the guy the best of luck and hope that the Islamophobes can educate themselves, because hearing that people are bashing the mayor of London over his religion just makes me sad.