London’s Mayor, Sadiq Khan, emphasised his commitment to encouraging dialogue between various religions, in a recent statement. Even though he is a Muslim, he is also proud of the fact that he can communicate with individuals of different faiths. Khan pointed out that recent events in Gaza have sparked an increase in both anti-Semitism and Islamophobia, underscoring the need for increased interfaith communication. He stated that he would gladly serve as a bridge of understanding if given the opportunity.
Earlier this month, Khan, a Labour party member, secured a historic third term in office as London’s mayor despite a hostile and divisive election. The controversy stemmed from some backers of his Conservative Party contender Susan Hall, who were allegedly attempting to exploit his religious beliefs for political gain.
While Hall rejected using Khan’s religion against him, she did ‘liked’ Social Media posts that referred to him as the mayor of “Londonistan”. This term is occasionally used to subtly criticise London’s diversity.
When asked whether cyber-attacks targeting his Islamic faith during the election bothered him, Khan turned the conversation back to 2016 when Pope Francis publically congratulated him on his first-term victory. He said his victory demonstrated that Muslims are capable of assimilating into European society, expressing how much he appreciated the Pope’s support.
Khan, also serving as the co-chair of the international environmental effort, C40 Cities, led a team of mayors from various global cities to an environmental conference at the Vatican last Thursday. He was admittedly “nervous” ahead of meeting Pope Francis, who has criticised the hurdles posed by greed in the path to climate resilience.
Discussing his audience with the Pope, he said that he greeted the Pope with an Arabic greeting, ‘As-salaam alaykum’. He mentioned a common Muslim phrase which states that the earth is lovely and green, and humans have been assigned as its caretakers. Khan stated that despite being a Muslim and the Pope being the head of the Catholic church, they are both religious leaders tasked with the critical responsibility of leading the combat against climate change.
London’s mayor, Khan, launched a major policy directive since taking office that extended the Ulez programme to every district of the city, last year. This scheme imposes economic sanctions on operators of antiquated and eco-unfriendly vehicles. Despite allegations from Tories on broadening the scope of Ulez fees, Khan insists it resulted in reduced air pollution in the capital. As to whether the Pope supported his decision, he is acknowledged to view air pollution and global warming as related issues. The impact of Ulez on mitigating air pollution particularly intrigued his team.
The Pope has expressed his view on the fight against global warming as an ethical, almost spiritual-struggle; a monumental task assigned to the present generation. Khan voiced that the origins of individuals’ beliefs do not matter to him, whether it’s from a mosque, temple, synagogue, church, or any other place, the fight against global warming is a cause every person ‘of all faiths and backgrounds’ should unite around.
A report from the Theos think tank revealed that London, with its rich ethnic variety, is by far the most religious city in Britain. It found that 62 per cent of Londoners identified as religious, compared to 53 per cent of Britons overall. More interestingly, 38 per cent of Christians in London visit church at least once a month, over twice the national average.
Khan acknowledges his faith and is pleased that many London residents practice their own. He stressed that collaboration between different faith groups is the key to collective efforts in overcoming challenges such as fighting climate change. He said, “In order to address challenges like the fight against climate change, we need unity, and interfaith cooperation is a vehicle for that.”