Birmingham city councillor Mariam Khan has been receiving Islamophobic racist abuse (Photograph: Adam Yosef)
A Muslim councillor from Birmingham has totally schooled an online racist after being told to “f*** off” out of the country.
Cllr Mariam Khan, who represents the Birmingham Washwood Heath ward, was targeted by Facebook user ‘Dawn Lees’ in a vitriolic hate-filled attack posted publicly under a Birmingham Mail news story yesterday.
Commenting on the story, which featured a photo of Mariam at last night’s anti-Trump protest in the city centre, Dawn wrote:
“Look at the one with the placard she is a Muslim they realise this is our country not theirs and if we want Donald Trump it’s up to us not them absolutely sick to death of foreigners dictating in my country I just wish they would f**k off I am really peed off with them and so angry about it all”.
Cllr Mariam Khan was targeted after her photo appeared in a news article yesterday (Image: Facebook/Mariam Khan)
Facebook user Dawn Lees described Mariam Khan as a “foreigner” and wrote she should “f**k off” out of the country (Image: Facebook/Mariam Khan)
Khan, 26, responded to Lees in the most calm and collected way possible:
“I’m sorry you are peed off and so angry about it all but I am not going to f**k off for a number of reasons:
1) I was born in Birmingham and have lived here all 26 years of my life
2) This is my country too
3) I’m not a foreigner and even if I was, I still wouldn’t f**k off at your kind request.”
Mariam Khan responded to Dawn Rees’ racist and xenophobic post in a calm manner (Image: Facebook/Mariam Khan)
She added:
“This whole ‘us and ‘them’ really needs to stop. It’s not very nice.
“I hope you get the chance one day to experience how beautiful diversity of races, backgrounds and religion really is.”
Mariam has been a councillor for Birmingham City Council since May 2012 and regularly works with active community cohesion projects, resident surgeries, human rights campaigns, and local group litter collections.
She has even travelled with international charities to refugee camps in Europe and the Middle East to assist the vulnerable and needy.
You can't always stay silent when ignorance tries to divide people. My way of saying I'm not f**king off anywhere 🤔 #proudbrummie pic.twitter.com/LgVVpC41FU
— Mariam Khan (@mariamkhan29) February 21, 2017
Highlighting the disturbing online attack, the young politician reflected:
“So, just yesterday I was asked at the Trump protest by BCU journalist students if I experience racism/Islamophobic abuse.
“Came across a lovely comment which summed it all up. I normally ignore it but couldn’t help but reply to this one.”
Mariam Khan admitted she often ignores online racist abuse but refused to on this occasion (Image: Facebook/Mariam Khan)
Young Birmingham politician Mariam Khan is an active campaigner against racism and hate (Photograph: Adam Yosef)
It doesn’t appear that Dawn, whose Facebook profile lists her as a 57-year-old from Birmingham, has since replied to Mariam’s correction.
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