LONDON — Prime Minister Boris Johnson of Britain on Monday ordered an inquiry into an allegation of Islamophobia within his government, after a former transport minister said that she had lost her job in part because of her “Muslimness.”The allegation has deepened the tensions engulfing Mr. Johnson’s leadership as his government awaits the results this week of an inquiry into parties in Downing Street during coronavirus lockdowns. Under mounting pressure, including from two members of his own cabinet, Mr. Johnson ordered the investigation into the firing of Nusrat Ghani, who lost her job at the transport ministry during a reshuffle in February 2020, soon after Mr. Johnson had won a landslide election victory. In an interview with The Sunday Times this weekend, Ms. Ghani told the newspaper that her “Muslimness” had been given as one reason for her losing her job as a junior minister. She said that she was also told that her status as a female Muslim minister had made others uncomfortable.

Source: New York Times January 24, 2022 14:03 UTC