OPINION: From Disraeli to Sunak, foul racist prejudice lives on
Arun Singh, a researcher in social cohesion, reflects on how attitudes have – and have not – changed from the era when Britain had its first ethnic minority prime minister.
The momentous rise of Rishi Sunak to become the UK’s first ethnic minority Prime Minister since Disraeli highlights some interesting parallels and lessons.
The British Indian consciousness is a few generations behind the British Jewish one, yet both communities receive hate and derision from three similar cohorts of extremists – the hardline regressive ‘left’, the far-right and Islamists. Sadly, as Disraeli’s ascension acted as a ‘bat signal’ for antisemitics, Rishi’s rise will likely do the same for anti-Indian racists, in particular Hinduphobes.
Whereas antisemitism is well understood and studied, Hinduphobia is a little more contentious, due partly to the many meanings of the word Hindu, ranging from Hindustan (India) to Hinduism. Using Hindu in a post-colonial religious identity manner, Hinduphobia is discrimination against Hindus, Hindu culture or those perceived/cast as Hindus. This is different from anti-Indian racism which is discrimination against those who are ethnically Indian or those who identify as Indian.
Discourse against Rishi is similar to that against Disraeli, with both being accused of dual-allegiances, not working in the national interest or even being a threat to a particular group of self-victimising people.
In the Victorian era, Jews, like Indians, were often depicted as of a lower moral standing and weak. However, in the early 20th century a corrosive narrative of rootless metropolitans seeking ‘global control’ was poisoning the body politic, with antisemitic propaganda such as the Protocols of the Elders of Zion being used to justify the marginalisation of Jewish people.
Discourse against Rishi is similar to that against Disraeli, with both being accused of dual-allegiances
Fast-forward a century and the same racist playbook is being used against the visibly Indian diaspora. Change Zionism to Hindutva and Rothchild to Ambani and the slurs continue, as illustrated from the violent events in Leicester where all three aforementioned extremist cohorts were pushing the baseless narrative of a global RSS/BJP (read ‘Indian Illuminati’) plan to cause community tension and control foreign lands. Such conspiracy theories are used by all three groups, yet they all manifest their prejudice in distinct ways.
It’s no secret the far-right have always had a disdain and suspicion of those ‘of foreign extraction’, hating minority communities for both their economic success while seeing them as culturally and racially inferior. Disraeli, an ethnic Jew but Christian by religion, had bacon stuck on poles waved in front of his face during his election campaign.
Thankfully no beef was waved at Rishi, but there have been dog-whistle and openly racist remarks against him. ‘Rishi Sunak isn’t even British in most people’s opinion’ was infamously spewed out by a member of Rishi’s own Conservative Party on LBC radio.
There have always been elements of the ‘left’ who have seen Jews and Indians needing either ‘civilising/saving’ or curtailing their alleged ‘power’. The regressive ‘left’, who are distinct from the anti-racist or liberal left, see certain group’s as fair game for social marginalisation in a Stalinist approach to their warped interpretation of social justice. Disraeli, who helped shape the modern Conservative Party, was subjected to antisemitic abuse by those on the opposite benches. For example, his name was purposely mispronounced to ‘B De-judah’ to attract abuses his way.
The third group who prey on Jewish and Indian people are Islamists, distinct from secular or spiritual Muslims but supported by countries like Pakistan and Iran in their battles against countries like India and Israel.
Churchill in 1942 called Indians “a beastly people with a beastly religion’’. Eighty years later, in the 75th year of Indian independence, a fellow Conservative and man of Indian heritage and spirituality runs the country of which his grandparents were colonial subjects.
As Disraeli eloquently said: “Through perseverance many people win success out of what seemed destined to be certain failure.’’ With this in mind, we must not be scared to call out racism and prejudice, especially as we are cognisant of the damage it causes.
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