Category: UK Politics

What went wrong with the Labour Party?

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What went wrong with the Labour Party?

By Khadija Khan Where did it go wrong for Labour? The party’s strong ties with the towns and cities that were once their heartlands have been slowly weakening over time. Once, it could count on winning big majorities in dozens of seats in the north and the Midlands. But in the 2019 UK General Election, the “Red Wall” collapsed when Labour suffered its worst electoral result since 1935. It culminated just this month in the crushing defeat of its sitting MP Paul Williams, with the overwhelming victory of the Conservative…

Naz Shah and Salma Yaqoob: two sides of the same coin?

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Naz Shah and Salma Yaqoob: two sides of the same coin?

By Khadija Khan The row between Labour shadow minister Naz Shah and prospective candidate for West Midlands Metro Mayor Salma Yaqoob reflects the abominable situations within Muslim communities, where women have to grapple with a doubled-edged sword in order to get to positions of power. It is unfathomable how difficult it is for women of Muslim heritage to excel when men are disproportionately in top positions, and some women try to put down women also of Muslim heritage through smears and mudslinging. Shah accused Yaqoob of being unfit to be a Labour candidate…

Amina Lone and the shame of the Labour Party in the UK

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Amina Lone and the shame of the Labour Party in the UK

By Iram Ramzan Dissenters from within Muslim communities are often silenced by being cast as ‘traitors’ or dismissed as not being ‘authentic’ often.  Often, wider society either looks away, or sides with the reactionary forces within our communities because of fear of causing offense. A high-profile female councillor in Manchester has been forced out for being too ‘outspoken’. The Manchester Evening News website reported how in-fighting within Manchester City Council has been blamed for pushing out Hulme councillor Amina Lone after seven years at the town hall. Sedaa readers will…

General Election: what is the colour of your X?

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General Election: what is the colour of your X?

By Amina Lone   It’s General Election 2017 and there is something deeply unsettling about some grassroots behaviour in regards to cultivating the ‘Muslim’ vote. Targeting specific communities has been going on since time immemorial. Every vote counts so it is understandable that showcasing how one’s party will benefit that individual or community is a sensible political strategy. The challenge is the balance between the specifics and the universal. If one plays the identity politics game and solely focuses on micro matters then the wider macro issues of the economy,…

My issues with the Muslim Council of Britain’s alternative to the Prevent strategy

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My issues with the Muslim Council of Britain’s alternative to the Prevent strategy

By Iram Ramzan   Critics of the Government’s counter-terrorism Prevent strategy often claim that it disproportionately targets and focuses on Muslims, despite the fact that it actually works on countering the far-right too. So what does the Muslim Council of Britain decide to do? It has decided to set up its own programme to target, er, Muslims. In a direct challenge to the government’s ‘controversial’ Prevent scheme, the MCB plans to start the Muslim-run counter-radicalisation scheme next year. The MCB said in a statement: In reflecting the wishes of a cross-section…

I find Jeremy Corbyn’s grip on the Labour leadership sinister

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I find Jeremy Corbyn’s grip on the Labour leadership sinister

By Aliyah Saleem As a Labour member I was invited along to an emergency meeting in my area which aimed to lend support to Corbyn. I went with the intention to listen to the other side and to explain why I believe that he should resign. This was of course before he was kept on the ballot paper after his legal team threatened to sue Labour. I was the first person to openly say that I think he should resign. I noticed that some seemed disappointed in me and others…

Naz Shah proves that anti-Semitism is still a problem

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Naz Shah proves that anti-Semitism is still a problem

By Rasool Bibi     Karma is a bitch, isn’t it Naz Shah? This week, anti-Semitic posts made by Naz Shah nine months before she won her seat in Bradford West have been exposed. As an activist against extremism, if I hadn’t already lost all my faith in her, this would have come as a surprise. We were inspired by her story of overcoming a forced marriage and domestic abuse to become a rising politician and cheered her on. We loudly expressed disgust when George Galloway and many in Naz’s Muslim community led a poisonous…