In British elections, Muslim voters seek candidates who care about Gaza
| Slough, England
Standing outside his home in a residential street in Slough, west of London, tire shop owner Raja Ijaz recounts a conversation he had recently with the local Labour Party candidate in Britain鈥檚 upcoming general election.聽
When Tanmanjeet Dhesi came to ask for his vote,聽鈥淚 told him bye-bye,鈥� says Mr. Ijaz, showing the white of his palm. 鈥淚 said, I鈥檓 not voting for you because you didn鈥檛 vote for the cease-fire in Gaza. My entire family has abandoned the Labour Party because of this reason.鈥�
Some of his Muslim neighbors have broader concerns, equally unhappy with both leading parties, including the Conservatives.
Why We Wrote This
It is unusual in Britain for ethnic groups to vote along religious lines. But the leading political parties鈥� tepid response to Israel鈥檚 war in Gaza is prompting Muslims to favor independent candidates.
鈥淣either of the two main parties has raised their voice about Gaza,鈥� says Muhammad Salim, two doors down from Mr. Ijaz. 鈥淭his is a really important issue for me because people are dying, and I鈥檒l be raising my concern by voting for an independent.鈥�
That would be music to the ears of a new organization, The Muslim Vote, launched six months ago to try to shape a Muslim voting bloc that will demand that politicians pay attention to Muslim concerns. Such a bloc, based on religious belief, is unprecedented in Britain, outside Northern Ireland.
鈥淭he Labour Party and the Conservative Party both have taken ... Muslim voters for granted and are not concerned with representing them or their views,鈥� says Abubakr Nanabawa, the coalition鈥檚 spokesperson.
鈥淭his election signals a shift for Muslims 鈥� no more political apathy,鈥� the organization proclaims on its website. 鈥淲e will no longer tolerate being taken for granted. We are a powerful, united force of 4 million acting in unison.鈥�
Could Muslims make a difference?
Dismayed by the Labour Party鈥檚 tepid response to Israel鈥檚 military operation in Gaza, Mr. Ijaz and Mr. Salim have decided to vote for Azhar Chohan, an independent candidate who has made 鈥渟topping the Genocide in Gaza鈥� a key part of his campaign. 鈥淚t鈥檚 woken up the Muslim conscience,鈥� says Mr. Chohan, who has been endorsed by The Muslim Vote.
Muslims make up more than a quarter of registered voters in Slough. If Mr. Chohan is able to galvanize the community, he could cause an upset. In February, the Workers Party of Britain leader, George Galloway, won a by-election in Rochdale by targeting Muslim voters, standing on an overtly pro-Palestinian platform. That victory has inspired many pro-cease-fire candidates to stand in the general election.
British Muslims, who account for about 6% of the total population and are heavily concentrated in urban areas, have historically tended to vote for the Labour Party. But a February poll by Survation showed that Muslim support for Labour had dropped by 26% since its leader, Keir Starmer, suggested that Israel had the right to cut off food and water to Gaza and then failed to back calls for an unconditional cease-fire.
At local elections in May, a BBC analysis showed that Labour鈥檚 share of the vote was down 21% in local council wards where more than one-fifth of the residents were Muslim.
The Conservatives are widely expected to suffer a crushing defeat at the general election on July 4. But the size of Labour鈥檚 majority may depend on whether independents endorsed by The Muslim Vote 鈥� only half of whom are in fact Muslims themselves 鈥� can turn events in the Middle East to their advantage on polling day.
The Muslim Vote has identified dozens of constituencies where Muslims make up a large enough share of the electorate to potentially sway the result. In Newcastle Central & West, where Muslims form around 12% of the total electorate, the organization has lent its support to Yvonne Ridley, a journalist and broadcaster who converted to Islam in 2003.
鈥淭he Muslim community has seen the way that governments and leaders have reacted to Gaza, and we can all see what鈥檚 happening there for what it is, which is a genocide,鈥� she says. 鈥淎nd yet our leaders condemn us for marching, condemn us for protesting and we know what we鈥檙e doing is the right thing.鈥�
A 鈥渃onspiracy鈥� or democracy?
The Muslim Vote, and its effort to organize Muslims into a coherent political force, have attracted considerable controversy.
In Slough, the incumbent member of Parliament and front-runner in the election, Labour鈥檚 Mr. Dhesi, has accused Mr. Chohan of 鈥渢rying to toxify鈥� the town and 鈥渄ivide our diverse community by importing the toxic politics of persuading people to vote based on religion.鈥�
Right-wing populist Nigel Farage has gone further, accusing Muslims of indulging in sectarian politics and of not sharing British values.
For some, these criticisms are rooted in a historical malaise. 鈥淓very single time the Muslim community ... tries to organize, it鈥檚 the same old,鈥� says Anas Altikriti, an adviser to The Muslim Vote. 鈥淚t鈥檚 all of a sudden a conspiracy and an attempt to take over. And that pertains to a much bigger and deeper and older problem that has roots in the ... colonial perception of the other.鈥�
The themes of sectarianism and disloyalty to Britain have emerged in many discussions about the Muslim electorate, according to Faisal Hanif, a researcher at the Centre for Media Monitoring who tracks the way Muslims are portrayed in the British media.
鈥淢uslims deciding what they care about and who they want to vote for,鈥� he says, 鈥渋s seen as threatening.鈥�
