Tory chairwoman 'tells Muslim shopper her hijab is "offensive" outside Asda'

Barnet Tory chairwoman Fiona Bulmer was asked to stand down after she allegedly made the comments to the Muslim mum - who had asked if she supported Boris Johnson's 'letterbox' niqab comparison

A Tory party chairwoman has resigned after she allegedly told a Muslim mum her hijab was "offensive" outside Asda.

Barnet Conservatives chairwoman Fiona Bulmer stepped down following complaints from the mum, who was with her two young children at the time of the encounter.

Sidrah Mohammed was allegedly accosted by Ms Bulmer at an Asda in Southgate, north London.

Ms Bulmer was a veteran councillor in the borough of Barnet, but left the post after a failed bid to become leader of the council in 2010.

Sidrah, who was wearing trousers, a raincoat and a "small pink headscarf", was with her two children, aged three and one, when she was approached by a group of Conservative supporters canvassing support ahead of the general election on Thursday, reports My London .

The mum, who described herself as having no political affiliations, says she asked the Tory chairwoman about the widely reported Islamophobic comments made by Prime Minister Boris Johnson over a number of years.

The issue is one commonly raised on the campaign trail by people from minority ethnic backgrounds.

Ms Bulmer said the Prime Minister had her full support and allegedly added that she found what Sidrah was wearing "offensive".

Sidrah, who wrote about the incident on Facebook , added: "When I tried to film her she darted off with the rest of her group, leaving a 20-something year old Tory member to speak to me.

"The Young Tory was getting really upset about the video and cried - I ended up hugging her and calming her down while her Tory colleagues left her.

"I'm part of no party. I'm just a British mum getting on with being an active and positive member of society. But apparently my wearing trousers, a rain coat and a small pink headscarf is offensive."

Sidrah's post was shared on Facebook and WhatsApp, leading the local Conservative association to ask its chairwoman to step down.

"We apologise for what was said and for the offence caused," the Chipping Barnet Conservative Association posted on Facebook.

"We recognise that those holding office in a political party must take the greatest care to avoid anything which might be viewed as derogatory to any faith or minority community.

"That is why we asked Fiona to stand down as chairman of our local party, with immediate effect, and she will take no further part in the general election.

"The Conservative Party, both nationally and locally here in Chipping Barnet, condemns prejudice and discrimination and will always promote the values of equality and mutual respect between people of different faith and ethnic backgrounds.

"This view is shared by our candidate, Theresa Villiers."

The incident came after Sidrah challenged the Tory activists about the Prime Minister's history of offensive remarks.

These include comparing Muslim women who wear the niqab to "letterboxes" and describing Islamophobia as a "natural reaction" to the Quran.

He also said in the aftermath of the 7/7 bombings that "Islam is the problem", a statement many Muslims both condemned and found worrying.

As well as these comments, he wrote an article describing Africans as "piccaninnies" and said they had "watermelon smiles".

Cabinet member Theresa Villers, who is the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), was elected to the Chipping Barnet seat in 2017 with a majority of just 353 votes.

She slid into power with just 0.6 per cent more votes than Labour rival Emma Whysall, who is standing against her against her again in one of the most marginal seats in the country.

Islamophobia in the Tory party

The Conservatives have faced calls from within the party and from outsiders to carry out a specific inquiry into Islamopobia within their party, but have denied there is a specific issue within the party.

Instead they have promised to launch an inquiry into all forms of hate, with Boris Johnson and his Chancellor Sajid Javid both denying the party has a problem with Islamophobia.

This is despite a dossier being released last month naming 25 councillors, former councillors and local party chairs responsible for Islamophobic posts on social media.