I. Y. KOTIN

Doctor of Historical Sciences

Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography. Peter the Great Russian Academy of Sciences (Saint Petersburg)

Keywords: Sadiq Khan, London, multiculturalism, Muslims, Pakistanis

In May 2016, a significant event took place in London. Sadiq Khan, a Pakistani - born Muslim Labour MP, has become mayor of the British capital.

Against the background of the campaign for leaving the European Union (the so - called Brexit-from the English words Britain exit), which ended in the United Kingdom with a referendum on this issue, which took place on June 23, 2016*, such important news as the election of Sadiq Khan as the new mayor of London remained in the shadow of this event. Sadiq Khan, who comes from a family of Pakistani immigrants in England, is the first Muslim to become mayor of the British capital.

London in recent decades has increasingly reflected the composition of the population of the former British colonies. As the capital of the former metropolis, London remains a magnet for immigrants from South Asia, Africa, the West Indies, Malaysia, Hong Kong (Hong Kong). As a commercial and financial center, as well as a relatively quiet city, London attracted Arabs, Greeks, Turks, Russians, and representatives of other peoples of the world.

London is probably the most cosmopolitan of all European capitals. It is no coincidence that on May 7, 2016, Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, the first Muslim head of the city, a Pakistani, took the oath of office at the multicultural center at the temple in Southwark.¹ Sadiq Khan declared his readiness to represent the interests of the entire multicultural London.

MULTICULTURAL LONDON TODAY

According to the latest UK Census (2011), the so-called "white Britons"

* 17.4 million Britons, or 51.89%, voted to leave the European Union, while 16.1 million, or 48.11%, voted against.

they're already a minority in London. In 2011, London was home to 542,000 Indians, 224,000 Pakistanis, and 222,000 Foreigners. Bangladesh, 399,000 "other Asians", 574,000 British Africans, 345,000 (mostly black) immigrants from the Caribbean (West Indies), 106,000 Arabs, 102,000 Mestizos (descendants of mixed marriages from "whites" and "Asians"), as well as 119,000 descendants of other mixed marriages, 175 thousand representatives of other ethnic groups ².

The materials of the UK population censuses since 1991 contain information on the ethnic composition of the country's population. However, due to the specific perception of the British people about peoples and races, the questionnaires concerning the respondents ' ethnicity are based on the ethno-racial nomenclature, and the analysis of information about the ethnic composition of the country's population was carried out mainly by demographers and sociogeographers, ignoring the opinion of anthropologists and ethnographers, as Manchester Professor R. Ballard wrote with some indignation, who made a sharp criticism the first publications of the team that analyzed the results of the census ³. However, the data of the UK population censuses, and London in particular, contain some information.

The 2001 and 2011 censuses identify six major ethnic and racial categories of London's population. These are "White British"," other Whites"," Mixed groups"," Asians"," Blacks "and" Others". "White Britons" in 2011 amounted to more than 3.5 million, "other whites" - 1 million, "mixed" - about 500 thousand, "Asians" - more than 1.5 million, "blacks" -about 1 million, "others" - about 300 thousand people.⁴ At the same time, researchers note a decrease of 618 thousand in the number of "white Britons" in London, which is 14% of their number in 2001.The group of "other whites", on the contrary, increased by 402 thousand people (49% compared to 2001).

Researchers attribute this increase to the emergence of a large number of Poles arriving in the country as new citizens of the European Union. Compared to 2001, in 2011 by 79% (up to 179 thousand people) The number of representatives of the so - called "mixed" - a category that is unclear, but reflects the fact of the existence of interracial and interethnic marriages-has increased. In London, the number of so-called "others", i.e. those who do not fall into the previous broad categories, increased by 148% (up to 168 thousand). At the same time, the" other " category includes Arabs who were previously considered part of the Other group. This group, which makes up about 200,000 people in the whole country, is represented mainly in London.

The religious composition of the population of London, as well as the whole of Great Britain, was first reflected in the 2001 census, and the question about religion was preserved in the 2011 census, and the answers to the question about religious affiliation were more accurate, because the questions were more accurate, which allowed less ambiguity of estimates. Based on the latest census, it became known that 5.79 million Londoners, i.e. 70.8% of the inhabitants of the British capital, were believers, primarily Christians (52.9% of Londoners), then Muslims (13.5%, more than 1 million people), 5.5% - Hindus (411 thousand), 2% - Jews (148 thousand), 1.7% - Sikhs (126 thousand)⁵.

Answers to other census questions in some cases shed light on the ethnic composition of London's population. The 2011 census includes, among others, a question about the respondent's country of origin. People from 14 countries are represented in London by their communities. 262,000 Londoners were born in India (3.2% of the city's population), which is 89,000 more than in 2001 (173,000). They were followed by those born in Poland (158 thousand, 1.9% of the population; in 2001-only 22 thousand), which even surpassed those born in Ireland (130 thousand, 1.6% of the population). Nigerians, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis, Jamaicans, Sri Lankans make up more than 1% of London residents.

We can also get some information about the ethnic composition of the population of London from census data on whether respondents have a passport of a country other than the United Kingdom.⁶ For the first time, the 2011 census included answers to the question about a foreign passport, if a resident of the UK had one. This data correlates well with information about the country of origin of Londoners. 156,000 Londoners have Polish passports, 141,000 have Irish passports, and 123,000 have Indian passports.

In modern London, the cultural characteristics and needs of a particular group of voters increasingly determine the programs of candidates for mayoral elections. It is not surprising that both Labour and the Conservatives try to take this into account when nominating their candidates. Labour has traditionally been able to count on the poorest part of the electorate, those who depended on government or municipal housing, those who used public transport and relied on its cheapness and accessibility. However, in recent decades, the capacity of the City of London is limited. The city does not have the resources to curb rising real estate and transportation prices and provide those in need with municipal housing.

In such a situation, the behavior of a candidate for mayor, his ability to please the electorate, and his ability to ensure the loyalty of the electorate represented by minorities play an increasingly important role.

Not surprisingly, in 2008, the hugely successful manager and administrator Ken Livingstone, whose options as mayor were limited by the new policies and laws of central government and whose sympathies for left-wing parties earned him the nickname "Red Ken," was replaced by the flamboyant populist Boris Johnson.

Boris Johnson was remembered by Londoners as a bright speaker, an extravagant personality and a great cycling enthusiast. All this worked well during the election in favor of Johnson, but he had few real achievements.

After two terms as mayor, Boris Johnson has decided not to run for mayor of London. Under the new conditions, the battle for the city's governance was led by Conservative representative Zac Goldsmith, a member of an influential clan, journalist and supporter of the environmental movement, and Labor member Sadiq Khan, who could count on a million votes of his fellow Muslims, as well as all those who traditionally give their votes to Labor, mainly members of" colored " minorities..

Sadiq Khan, a native of a Pakistani family, won the May 2016 election. With the light hand of journalists, he was immediately nicknamed "the first mayor of Londonistan" ⁷.

MUSLIM, SON OF A PAKISTANI

Sadiq Khan, 45, was born and raised in the London borough of Tooting, from which he was elected to the House of Commons of the British Parliament. Khan comes from a family of Pakistani immigrants. In turn, Sadiq Khan's grandparents are refugees to Pakistan from India. His father worked as a bus driver for many years, his mother was a homemaker and sewed clothes at home.

The Khans had eight children. Parents and children lived in a municipal apartment. Sadiq Khan was well aware of the difficulties of ordinary Londoners. As a member of the "minority of color", he also faced racist attacks, which led him to take up boxing as a means of self-defense.⁸ At the same time, he was able to take advantage of the opportunities that multicultural Britain provided for him.

Sadiq Khan received a free secondary education, continued his studies at the University of North London, where he studied law, worked for several years in a human rights law firm, became chairman of the Liberty Public Foundation, ⁹ and then made a career as a functionary of the Labour Party.

In Gordon Brown's Labour cabinet, Sadiq Khan served as Minister of Communities and Local Government from 2008 to 2009, and as Minister of Transport from 2009, when he became the first Muslim member of the Privy Council. When Labour lost power in Britain in 2010, Sadiq Khan became the opposition shadow cabinet's transport minister and then Minister for London.

Thus, we can see that even before being elected mayor, Sadiq Khan had thoroughly studied the problems of his native city, one of the main ones being the transport problem. It is noteworthy that during the election campaign, both the main contenders for the post of mayor - Sadiq Khan and Zac Goldsmith - took a trip around London as part of the BBC's election experiment, and Sadiq Khan showed excellent knowledge of London's topography, and Zac Goldsmith "got lost in three pines"¹⁰.

It is noteworthy that almost immediately after the inauguration ceremony as mayor at the Mansion House Palace, Sadiq Khan attended a ceremony dedicated to the victims of the Holocaust, thereby emphasizing that he intends to protect the interests of all groups of the London population. At the same time, he did not distance himself from the Muslim community that supported him.

Sadiq Khan constantly demonstrates his belonging to Muslims, and in response to the intention of US presidential candidate Donald Trump after coming to power to ban Muslims from entering the United States, he said that in this case, as mayor of London, he does not plan to visit the United States. At the same time, Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton was one of the first to congratulate Sadiq Khan, sending him a message on Twitter: "To the son of a Pakistani bus driver, an advocate for workers' interests, a supporter of human rights, and now the Mayor of London, congratulations."¹¹

The son of Pakistanis, according to tradition, Sadiq Khan married a Pakistani woman, Sadia Ahmed. They have two daughters. Sadiq Khan's sister was married from 1989 to 2011 to a Pakistani man named Maqbool Javid, who gave a strident anti-Western speech in Trafalgar Square in 1997. Sadiq Khan's acquaintance with a number of other Pakistanis, members of the radical Islamic group Hizb ut-Tahrir al-Islami, led to accusations of Islamism. What, one-

However, it is not confirmed by his speeches and actions. Sadiq Khan himself spoke about himself during the election campaign: "I'm a Londoner. I am a European. I'm British. I am an Englishman. I am a Muslim. I'm Asian. I am a Pakistani." 44% of the electorate voted for Sadiq Khan in the mayoral election. 35% of voters cast their ballots for his rival, Zach Goldsmith.

RIVAL - ZACH GOLDSMITH, SON-IN-LAW OF ANOTHER KHAN

So, we can assume that Sadiq Khan's victory was determined both by the personal merits of the candidate, and by the reliance on a large party and on a Muslim and, in general, "colored" electorate. But even Zac Goldsmith, who lost the election, could count on the support of Muslims and Pakistanis.

Goldsmith is the son of the famous billionaire and politician James Goldsmith, who advocated for strengthening the UK's ties with the countries of the British Commonwealth and for its withdrawal from the European Union. James Goldsmith became famous not only as the founder of the Referendum Party, which advocated Britain's exit from the EU, but also for his love affairs; he had many wives and mistresses, from whom he left numerous offspring, including a son Zach and a daughter Jemima. Jemima Goldsmith married Pakistani cricket star Imran Khan, converted to Islam, became Mrs Khan and bore him two sons.

Thus, Zac Goldsmith, who has Jewish, German, French and English blood in his veins, and who himself could have been a representative of multicultural London, also turned out to be the son-in-law of a Pakistani. However, the candidate for mayor of London from the Conservatives failed to beat this fact sufficiently. Even the support of his uncle, prominent environmental leader Edward Goldsmith, did not help him.

In general, Zach Goldsmith proved to be a representative of the "golden youth", perhaps out of boredom went into politics. Relying on conservatives didn't help him either. Eight years of Conservative rule in London was enough. The "pendulum rule" described by Lord Salisbury a hundred years earlier, which involves the periodic change of voters ' sympathies from one bored party to another, worked.¹²

SADIQ KHAN'S FIRST STEPS AS MAYOR OF LONDON

Upon receiving the news of his victory, Sadiq Khan stated:: "Thank you, London. We have the best city in the world - and I'm proud of it. I am very touched by the trust you have placed in me. I grew up in a social apartment (i.e., in an apartment provided by the municipality-I. K.)... I never imagined that I would become mayor. I want everyone in London to take advantage of the opportunities this city has given me. The choice you make is a victory of hope over fear, of unity over disunity. Fear doesn't make us safer, but it does make us weaker - and it doesn't belong here."¹³

Claiming to represent all Londoners, Sadiq Khan promised to curb rising public transport prices, help ordinary Londoners solve their housing problems, and make London a safer city. At the same time, Sadiq Khan announced his intention to attract big business to London and contribute to the development of London as one of the largest financial centers in the world. Sadiq Khan also aims to create new jobs in London, which is especially important for this multi-million city.

SADIQ KHAN AND BREXIT

Sadiq Khan, who was elected mayor shortly before the Brexit referendum, was a strong supporter of keeping Britain in the European Union. In particular, he stated:: "The economic side of the issue is clear. All the available data is very convincing - from the Finance Minister, the IMF, the Bank of England and many other institutions. Here in London alone, a million jobs depend on the European Union for their existence. " ¹⁴ But the mayor of London will have to take into account the results of the will of the majority of Britons and work in a new environment, when Britain's relations with former colonies in Asia, Africa, and the West Indies will probably become a priority.

¹ Guardian. 7 May 2016.

² UK Office For National Statistics 2011.

^{Ballard R.} 3 The construction of a conceptual vision: 'Ethnic groups' and the 1991 UK Census // Ethnic and Racial Studies. Vol. 20, N 1. January 1997. P. 182 - 194.

⁴ Diversity in London. London: Greater London Authority. 2013. P. 6.

⁵ Ibidem. P. 8.

⁶ Ibid. P. 9.

^{Kuznetsov A.} 7 The son of a bus driver from Pakistan became the leader in the London mayoral election. 06.05.2016.

^{Zabrodina E.} 8 Khan came out of "nizov" / / Rossiyskaya gazeta. 10.05.2016.

⁹ http://www.bbc.com/russian/uk/2016/05/160506_sadiq_khan_profile

¹⁰ Ibid.

^{Elgot J.} 11 Sadiq rebuffs 'ignorant' Trump's offer // The Hindu. May 10, 2016.

^{Sampson A.} 12 New Anatomy of Britain, Moscow, 1975, p. 49.

¹³ http://www.vesti.ru/doc.html?id=2751036

¹⁴ Euronews. 24.07.2016.

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