#Muslim Vote

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The Muslim Vote has issued Keir Starmer with 18 demands in order to win back support lost due to the Labour leader's stance on “The Terrorist, Fascist, Apartheid, War Criminal, Illegally Occupier of Palestine and The Illegal Regime of the Zionist 🐖 🐷 🐖 🐗 Isra-hell's War on Gaza.” The Muslim campaign group's demands are below:

1. Apologise for your comments green-lighting a genocide and for not backing the ceasefire in October/November 2023

2. Sanctions on companies operating in Occupied Territories. Sanctions on Illegal Settlers

3. Recognise Palestine as a state

4. Travel ban on all Fascist Isra-helli Politicians that prosecuted this war and support the Illegal Occupation

5. End military ties with Isra-hell

6. Issue guidance that Muslims are allowed to pray at school

7. Implement findings of people's review of Prevent - not Shawcross

8. Remove the extremism definition that [Michael] Gove introduced

9. Commit to full implementation of Royal Charter re media regulation

10. Adopt the APPG definition of Islamophobia

11. Commit to a review of public sector equality duty

12. Increase council and public health funding for the

10 per cent most deprived areas in the country to finally address systemic and chronic health inequities as detailed in the Marmot Review and revisited by the Health Foundation 10 years later

13. Deliver alternative student finance

14. Ensure Sharia-compliant pensions are available at every workplace, so the one-third of Muslims without a pension get one

15. Ensure insurance quotes don't cost more for someone called "Muhammad"

16. Commit 7 per cent of the local government pension scheme/public sector pensions to ethical and Islamic funds

17. Oppose Boycott, Divestment and Sanction (BDS) bill. Kick it out of law

18. Remove the Archaic "Spiritual Influence" Offence from Statute

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Forever Palestine 🇵🇸: Poll Shows Lobour Haemorrhaging Muslim Support Over Gaza War Stance

Bloody British Bastard, Boak Bollocks and Senile Oaf Keir Starmer

A new poll suggests the Labour is haemorrhaging support from British Muslims due to the party's handling of Israel's attack on Palestine.

The Labour Muslim Network conducted the new poll with Survation on the political views of British Muslims.

The survey finds that only 43% of British Muslims said they would vote Labour if there were a general election tomorrow — a staggering fall from the 86% that said they voted for Labour in the 2019 general election.

"The results send a clear message: Muslims have lost trust in the Labour Party because of their support for genocide," said the Labour Muslim Network on X, formerly Twitter.

The poll of 682 Muslims across Great Britain found 10% favouring the Green Party (a 9% increase since 2019) and 6% supporting the Liberal Democrats (up 5%) and the Conservatives (down 4%), while 23% remain undecided.

If the undecided voters are included Labour's share of the total British Muslim vote stands at 60% — still a considerable drop compared to previous levels.

A staggering 70% said the position of British political leaders on the Israel-Palestine conflict will be "very important."

It is reflected in the support for the party's leader. When asked whether they felt favourably or unfavourably towards Keir Starmer, most (29%) opted for "strongly unfavourable", an increase of 16% compared to the last poll in 2021.

Labour's stance on the Palestinian cause has bitterly disappointed its Muslim supporters. Especially when compared to Conservatives like David Cameron. Cameron has called for a sustainable ceasefire and even suggested the British government considers recognising Palestinian statehood.

In October, Starmer sparked controversy during an LBC interview where he seemed to say that Israel had the right to withhold power and water from Gaza. A position he was forced to hastily reverse on a few days later.

Starmer also faced rebellion when 10 frontbenchers resigned, and 46 other Labour MPs defied him by backing a parliamentary motion calling for a Gaza ceasefire. Labour MPs were advised not to vote for the truce.

Labour at "Crisis Point" with British Muslims

"For decades the Muslim community has been amongst the most loyal Labour supporters anywhere in the United Kingdom. The findings of this new opinion poll shows a startling collapse of this electoral and communal relationship." said the Labour Muslim Network in a statement.

"This is a crisis point for the future of the relationship between the British Muslim community and the Labour Party.

"These findings come in the context of over 100 days of Israel's continuous assault on Gaza. Over 25,000 Palestinians have been killed, more than 10,000 of whom are children, and the Labour Party's response has been unacceptable and deeply offensive to Muslims across Britain. Muslim voters have been watching and are now sending a clear message - they will not support any political party that does not fervently oppose the crimes committed against the people of Gaza.

"The Labour leadership must change paths now or risk losing the support of the Muslim community for a generation."

British Muslims' identification with Labour as their natural choice has fallen by 23 percentage points, from 72% in 2021 to 49% this year. Meanwhile, the Labour Party's net favourability is 21%, down 21 percentage points.

Although things seem bad for Labour and Starmer, it's worse for the Tories and Rishi Sunak.

Only 9% of British Muslims identify with the Tories, with net favourability down 11 percentage points to -50%. Sunak's net favourability score is -58 %.

The strength of the Muslim feeling against Labour could be felt in a key upcoming by-election in Rochdale. The February 29th vote follows the passing of veteran Labour MP Tony Lloyd, with many Labour MPs fearing a backlash in this previously safe seat.

Former Labour MP George Galloway is standing in Rochdale. Galloway famously ousted Labour in Bethnal Green and Bow in 2005, after capitalising on public outrage over the Iraq war.

Labour's relationship with its Muslim supporters began to sour after Starmer became leader, with accusations that the party isn't taking Islamophobia seriously.

Two years ago, the Forde report made some damning claims about Labour's failure to tackle Islamophobia and racism within the party. One of the issues it highlighted was claims that Labour is undermining Islamophobia and anti-black racism by operating a "hierarchy of racism."

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Sadiq Khan Re-Elected London Mayor But Labour Haemorrhages Muslim Support

— Monday May 06, 2024

Sadiq Khan secured a historic third consecutive term as Mayor of London but Labour's success in the local election was overshadowed by a significant decline in support from Muslim voters.

It has prompted many to say that Labour needs to examine its performance with Muslim voters who are increasingly turning away from the party, more recently due to Sir Keir Starmer's handling of Israel's war on Gaza.

Labour's tensions with Muslim voters were exposed when a party source blamed "the Middle East" for the expected defeat of its mayoral candidate in the West Midlands, triggering a race row. Though Labour's Richard Parker won in the end, it highlighted Muslim concerns over prejudices within the party.

Khan, the first Muslim mayor of a Western capital in 2016, defeated Conservative Susan Hall by a comfortable 11% margin despite rumours suggesting a close contest.

The campaign was fraught with divisive politics and Islamophobia accusations. In his victory speech, Khan said his team responded to the "fear-mongering with facts, hate with hope and attempts to divide with efforts to unite."

He also thanked his family: "Some of the stuff on social media, the protests at my home, the threats – it's upsetting, it's frightening and it's wrong. I'm truly sorry for putting you through this."

Conservatives faced criticism for choosing Susan Hall as their candidate because of her views and controversial comments in the past. Her campaign was mired in blunders and accusations of Islamophobia.

Sadiq Khan secured a historic third consecutive term as Mayor of London but Labour's success in the local election was overshadowed by a significant decline in support from Muslim voters. It has prompted many to say that Labour needs to examine its performance with Muslim voters who are increasingly turning away from the party, more recently due to Sir Keir Starmer's handling of Israel's war on Gaza.

Labour Suffers Key Losses in Muslim Areas

While Labour made gains across England in the local elections, it suffered key losses in areas with large Muslim populations due to its stance on the Gaza war.

In 58 council wards analysed by the BBC, where over 20% of residents are Muslim, Labour's vote share was down 21% compared to 2021.

Labour lost control of Oldham council on Friday, with pro-Palestine independents gaining five seats to leave the council in no overall control.

When asked if Israel's Gaza offensive affected the results in Oldham, Labour leader Starmer acknowledged the wealth of feeling about the issue: "There are some places where it's a very strong factor...I respect that."

Ali Milani, chair of the Labour Muslim Network, said on X: "This is the last warning Labour will get before a general election.

"We have to rebuild trust with Muslim voters. We have to show we value Muslim life before we can win back votes. Call for an immediate arms embargo of Israel. Now."

Racism Row

Labour's issues with Muslim voters were highlighted by a post-election race row sparked by comments from a party source about the West Midlands mayoral race.

Though Labour's Richard Parker defeated Conservative Andy Street, early rumours suggested Parker might lose, prompting a Labour source to blame Hamas for the expected result.

"It's the Middle East, not West Midlands, that will have won [Conservative candidate] Andy Street the mayoralty," the senior party source told the BBC. "Once again Hamas are the real villains."

The quote drew fierce criticism from within and outside Labour, calling it "racist" and "disgusting."

The Labour Muslim Network said: "Once again, we have seen a number of vile, racist briefings from supposed "senior Labour sources" regarding Muslim voters following an election result.

"The inference that Muslim voters are not equal to others or are linked to Hamas is a disgusting racist smear on our communities.

"We cannot begin to rebuild trust with Muslim voters as long as this Islamophobia runs rampant."

According to BBC reporter Rob Mayor, a Labour Party spokesperson condemned the "racist quote": "The Labour Party has strongly condemned this racist quote which has not come from anyone who is speaking on behalf of the party or whose values are welcome in the party."

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Yorkshire, UK 🇬🇧! The moon sets behind Whitby Abbey. The first full moon of 2022 is Monday evening. Photograph: Danny Lawson/PA

Salmon Creek, USA 🇺🇸! Dolphins play in heavy surf, north of Bodega Bay, California. The entire west coast was under a tsunami warning or advisory, following a massive undersea explosion of the Hunga Tonga Hunga Ha‘apai volcano in Tonga 🇹🇴. Photograph: Kent Porter/AP

Novosibirsk, Russia 🇷🇺! Participants compete in a race as part of the Siberia Ice Speedway Cup at a motorcycle racing track. Photograph: Kirill Kukhmar/TASS

Florence, USA 🇺🇸! The former US president Donald Trump holds a rally in Arizona. Photograph: Carlos Barría/Reuters

Elephant in Botswana 🇧🇼! Goats in Morocco 🇲🇦!

Éric Zemmour was fined €10,000 by the court. Photograph: François Nascimbeni/AFP/Getty Images

“Racist, Bigot, Ignorant and Braindead Far-right French Presidential Candidate” Found Guilty of Racist Hate Speech

Éric Zemmour drew widespread outrage in September 2020 after a tirade against child migrants

— Agence France-Presse in Paris | Monday 17 January 2022

A French court has found the far-right presidential candidate Éric Zemmour guilty of racist hate speech for a tirade against unaccompanied child migrants.

Zemmour drew widespread outrage in September 2020 when he told the CNews channel that child migrants were “thieves, killers, they’re rapists. That’s all they are. We should send them back.”

Zemmour, a media pundit who is struggling to assemble the endorsements from elected officials he needs to compete in April’s presidential vote, did not show up in court to hear the verdict, having already skipped his trial in November.

The court fined him €10,000 (£8,350) in daily instalments of €100 over 100 days. He could be jailed if he fails to pay the sum. Zemmour’s lawyer, Olivier Pardo, said he would appeal against the verdict.

Last year, Zemmour claimed the case was “nothing other than another attempt to intimidate me”, saying “they won’t shut me up”.

The far-right journalist and author has two previous convictions for hate speech and has been investigated 16 times in total over incendiary remarks on immigration and Islam.

In 2011, he was fined €10,000 for claiming on TV that “most drug dealers are black and Arab”. In 2018, he was ordered to pay €3,000 for comments about a Muslim “invasion” of France.

His entrance into frontline politics after a career spent in the media sent waves through the French ruling class in September, making him briefly the most talked-about challenger to the president, Emmanuel Macron.

Like all candidates in the race, Zemmour needs to muster 500 endorsements from elected figures around the country by the middle of March in order to have his name on the ballot for the two rounds of voting in April.

But he has admitted he risks being excluded unless more mayors and other elected figures agree to back him under a system he has denounced as discriminating against political outsiders.