A refugee family from Syria enjoy their meal in the Spree Hotel in Bautzen, a city of east Germany, on March 22. The hotel has become a provisional home for 240 refugees from Syria (CFP)

British-Pakistani Sadiq Khan, the Labour Party candidate, was elected as the new Mayor of London on May 8. Khan's victory has set two records in Britain and Western Europe. He has become London’s first mayor to come from an ethnic minority background, and he is also the first Muslim mayor to head a famous European metropolis.

The election result has divided the British public. Some speak highly of Britain's racial equality and social progress, as demonstrated by Khan’s win, while some more conservatively minded people voice their concern over the increasing influence of Muslims and other minority groups on mainstream European societies. These views reflect the complex feelings among Europeans today. Will Khan’s success usher in a new era of ethnic integration in Europe?

A celebrated success

London has a population of 8.6 million, while its Muslim residents account for approximately 1 million. If ethnic background was a big concern for a mayoral candidate, Khan would have been unlikely to attain the Labour nomination, let alone win the election. Voters appeared more interested in a candidate’s policy proposals and capabilities rather than his family’s background or ethnic group, displaying the high level of social inclusiveness and openness in British society.

In a poll conducted by YouGov six months before the election, some 55 percent of respondents said they had no problems with a mayor from an ethnic minority. To some extent this is promising, though it implies many are still uncomfortable over electing a minority representative.

Born to an immigrant family, Khan became a lawyer and rose up the Labour Party to become a member of the shadow cabinet. Khan's Muslim faith does not prevent him from supporting gay marriage. In fact, his progressive political beliefs cast him as a left-wing British politician, committed to humanitarianism and Western values, completely at odds with Muslims immersed in extremism. Perhaps Khan is not well-received by local xenophobic groups or radical Muslims, but he has won the support of millions of Londoners. The new mayor might signify the new hope of a multi-cultural European civilization.

On the other hand, there has been a resurgence of far-right groups in recent years in many countries across Europe, e.g. the National Front in France and Austria’s Freedom Party. They call for reductions on immigration and Islamic influence, appealing to many Europeans who perceive their culture and traditions are under threat.

Against such a backdrop, Khan’s success carries historic significance. In a globalized world, people from different ethnicities, religions and cultures live more closely together than ever before; harmonious coexistence has become an international issue. Khan’s victory is groundbreaking in a similar way to Barack Obama's election in 2008 as the first black American president, albeit on a smaller scale.

Sadiq Khan (front) 

Racial estrangement

A clash of civilizations, centered on a struggle for ideology, values and lifestyles between the East and West has been ongoing from ancient times till the present day on the Eurasian continent.

In Western history, the Greco-Persian Wars that took place in the 5th century B.C. were labeled as a confrontation between democracy and autocracy; a fight of freedom against slavery. Since the rise of the Arab Empire and Islam in the 7th century A.D., there have been numerous wars between Western Christians and Eastern Muslims, including the Crusades which lasted two centuries beginning in the 11th century.

In the 15th and 16th centuries, European navigators discovered new sea routes to the East as well as first setting foot in the New World (North and South America). In the following five centuries, much of the globe was occupied by Western colonialists, and world affairs were dominated by the West. Meanwhile, many Islamic civilizations were dismantled by mighty Western powers and state boundaries were redrawn to suit their interests, sowing the seeds for future unrest in the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia.

After World War II, many colonies achieved national independence, while there was a strong labor demand across much of Europe for the post-war reconstruction effort. Consequently, many Muslim migrants settled on the continent, gradually forming their own communities and societies. This has unsettled some natives.

According to demographic statistics by the Pew Research Center, Europe's Muslim population reached 44 million in 2010, accounting for 6 percent of the total population. Nearly half of them live in EU countries, approximately 3.8 percent of EU population. Some have projected that the Muslim share in Europe will reach 25 percent in 80 years.

In recent years, parts of the European press, affected by Euro-centrism and a sense of cultural superiority as well as the inherent problems of Muslim immigrants, have formed a negative view on the Muslim population. Some media outlets criticize them for rejecting the opportunity to integrate into European culture and for inciting violence. The recent terror attacks in France and Belgium and refugee crisis solidified this impression, with some fearing the future Islamification of Europe. However, such concerns are often exaggerated.

Europe has held a world leading position in many areas in the modern period. Today, some European leaders are still interested in promoting Western values to every corner of the world, despite Europe having its own social problems. For example, women, ethnic minorities and other underprivileged groups remain underrepresented as business heads and in political fields.

A parallel can be drawn between the situations in the UK and in the United States. Obama's election as U.S. president is the ultimate real life example of the American dream, but it by no means represents an end to outstanding racial frictions and problems within American society. The cases of the unarmed Michael Brown in Ferguson and Trayvon Martin of Sanford being shot to death by white police officers in recent years have shown such disparity.

Khan’s success can be retold as a political fairy tale for the children of immigrants - recognition is attainable if you work hard and assimilate into local culture. However, there is a long way to go for both the new mayor of London and European society as a whole to dispel the estrangement between mainstream society and its minorities. Maybe Khan’s victory can be a springboard toward this goal.

Profile

Sadiq Khan was born to a Pakistani immigrant family in southwest London in 1970. His father was a bus driver, and his mother was a seamstress. Khan was the fifth of their eight children—seven sons and a daughter. He gained a degree in Law from the University of North London and subsequently worked as human rights solicitor and chaired Liberty for three years. Before becoming the mayor of London, he worked as a key ally of Labour leader Ed Miliband, serving in his shadow cabinet as Shadow Secretary of State for Justice, Shadow Lord Chancellor, and Shadow Minister for London.

(Compiled by Beijing Review)

The author is a professor at Beijing Foreign Studies University

Copyedited by Dominic James Madar

Comments to liuyunyun@bjreview.com