Sadiq Khan's Victory To Become London's First Muslim Mayor Prompts A Range Of Emotion (Mostly Amazing)

The good, the bad and the ugly. But mostly good.
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London has elected Sadiq Khan as its mayor after the Labour MP ran a campaign based on increasing social mobility, making housing more affordable and growing the capital's prosperity.

He said he was "deeply humbled by the hope and trust" voters placed in him, adding: "I want to thank every single Londoner for making the impossible possible."

He added: "I'm so proud that Londoners have today chosen hope over fear and unity over division."

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Labour mayoral candidate Sadiq Khan arrives at City Hall in London with his wife Saadiya (right)
Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire

Oh, and Sadiq Khan is also Muslim.

In recent days, the campaign of his Conservative rival Zac Goldsmith, had increasingly tried to link Khan, 45, to Islamic extremism and terrorism.

 It was a tactic that would seriously backfire, not just in the results of the election but also in the reaction of fellow Conservatives... 

As the polls closed on Thursday, Andrew Boff, the former leader of the London Assembly’s Conservative group, had called the smears “outrageous” and “a mistake”.

He said: “I don’t think it was dog whistle, because you can’t hear a dog whistle. Everybody could hear this.

“It was effectively saying that people of conservative religious views are not to be trusted and you shouldn’t share a platform with them and that’s outrageous.”

The repercussions of the Tory campaign may well continue long after election night, with even David Cameron's former advisor Steve Hilton claiming it brought back the 'nasty party' label.

Reaction from the public after the expected result was announced was overwhelmingly positive but also highlighted there are still those for whom the idea of a Muslim Mayor is not a positive one.

The Good

The Bad

The Ugly

The Good

The Bad

The Ugly

The Good

The Bad

The Ugly

Thankfully, the racist and xenophobic voices were a minority, amply demonstrated by the fact anti-immigration parties Britain First and the BNP performed abysmally.

So, with that in mind, let's just concentrate on the positive, starting with this beautifully touching tweet that crossed a political divide that in recent days has been overshadowed by accusations of Islamophobia-tinged smears from the Tories against Khan.

Lovely stuff.

And there was plenty more in that vein.

 

Others even managed to turn the xenophobia on its head and turn it into a joke. 

Obviously a lot of people took the opportunity to highlight the nature of the campaign Goldsmith fought and the differences between the two.

And here's some more general loveliness.

During the campaign, Khan told the HuffPost UK he felt his rival’s negative campaign was putting ethnic minorities off taking part in politics.

He said: “How do you think they feel when – and I say this without hubris or arrogance – a mainstream British Muslim, someone who has spent his life lecturing British Muslims about getting involved in mainstream society and civic society is treated this way?

“I’ve already had people approaching me saying ‘you know, do you really think I’m going to encourage my nephew and niece, son and daughter, to get involved in politics if this is the way that you’re treated?’

“That’s why I’m disappointed in Zac. Zac should know better and Zac does know better and one of the things when you’re a candidate is you receive advice all the time.”