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Cause for Concern? London Poised to Elect 1st Muslim Mayor

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A sign of the times in London: The British capital appears to have elected its first Muslim mayor in voting held Thursday. It's a move that has some people concerned.

Forty-five-year old Sadiq Khan is the son of a bus driver from Pakistan who became a lawyer and then a member of Parliament for the left-wing Labour Party.

His opponent, conservative candidate Zac Goldsmith, has described Khan as "radical" and "dangerous" and accused him of giving "platforms... and... cover" to Islamic extremists.

Khan disputes the charges.

What is indisputable, however, is that Khan represented Nation of Islam founder Louis Farrakhan in the early 2000s in a court battle to overturn a ban on Farrakhan's entry into Britain.

It's also indisputable that he co-wrote a letter to the Guardian newspaper blaming Britain's July 7, 2005 terrorist bombings on British government policy in the Middle East.

In addition, Khan's law firm was consulted in the defense of 9/11 terrorist Zacarias Moussaoui. And Khan's Labour Party has been rocked by allegations of anti-Semitism.

In a poll last year, almost one-third of Londoners said they would be "uncomfortable" with a Muslim mayor. But the conservative Goldsmith -- a son of a billionaire -- has been accused of running a terrible campaign.

London is one of the world's most multicultural cities, with more than a million Muslims, and Khan's alleged ties to radicalism haven't kept him down in the polls.

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About The Author

Dale
Hurd

Since joining CBN News, Dale has reported extensively from Western Europe, as well as China, Russia, and Central and South America. Dale also covered China's opening to capitalism in the early 1990s, as well as the Yugoslav Civil War. CBN News awarded him its Command Performance Award for his reporting from Moscow and Sarajevo. Since 9/11, Dale has reported extensively on various aspects of the global war on terror in the United States and Europe. Follow Dale on Twitter @dalehurd and "like" him at Facebook.com/DaleHurdNews.