Posted on 02/20/2005 11:59:13 AM PST by Land_of_Lincoln_John
CAIRO, February 20, 2005 (IslamOnline.net) – British Muslims are preparing a list of questions to ask perspective MPs before casting their ballots in the May general elections, with the main parties seen vying to court their votes, a leading British newspaper said Sunday, February 20.
The Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) has listed ten key questions ranging from the stance of the candidate’s party on the US-led invasion-turned-occupation of Iraq, promotion of religious schools, legislations outlawing incitement to religious hatred, The Observer said.
“We want Muslims to engage with the election process. We want to get their vote out and for people to think through the issues and not vote out of blind loyalty,” said Sher Khan, the MCB public affairs committee chairman.
The step comes before an expected meeting between the MCB representatives and the heads of the Labour, the Conservative and the Liberal Democrats, the three main parties, in London mosques in the run-up to the vote.
“'We have given the party leaders a number of dates between the end of March and 10 April when we could meet them to discuss a whole range of issues,” said MCB spokesman Inayat Bunglawala.
Some 80 per cent of the Muslim community, estimated at 2.5 million, reported experiencing acts of discrimination and Islamophobia, said a recent report by the Open Society Institute.
Several British parliamentarians admitted last August that anti-terrorism laws are being used “disproportionately” against Muslims.
Muslims in major cities across the United Kingdom launched on November 22, the tenth Islam Awareness Week (IAW) with activities and seminars highlighting their contributions to the British society.
Labour Fears
The questions list is an attempt to get the parties to demonstrate interest in issues of concern to the Muslim community, said Mohammed Anwar, professor of ethnic relations at Warwick University.
“It's a major factor, but people shouldn't underestimate the importance of domestic issues. Muslims in Britain are also concerned about their own safety and wellbeing. The parties have to demonstrate that they are engaged on these issues as well.”
The MCB step is likely to raise fears of the ruling Labour Party, which has lost the majority of the Muslim votes in the elections.
“Obviously there are seats where Muslims are highly concentrated. In the last two local elections they used their vote in a way that saw Muslim Labour voters switch to the Liberal Democrats,” Anwar said.
The Labour lost the Muslim votes in the two key councils of Birmingham and Leicester, both home to the largest Muslim populations.
“Before the Iraq war the Muslim vote was solidly Labour, but polls suggest Muslims have deserted the party in droves,” said Nick Sparrow of polling firm ICM Research.
The traditional Muslim support for Labour slumped from 75 percent at the last general election to only 38 percent now due to the Iraq war, which has also tarnished the image of Prime Minister Tony Blair in the eyes of the Muslim community, according to a Guardian/ICM poll.
“The Muslim vote could affect results in marginal seats,” said Tony Travers, a director of research at the London School of Economics.
He added that the Labour will have to make robust efforts to attract the votes of disgruntled Muslims, who have switched from the Labour to the new anti-war party, Respect.
“In certain constituencies, the arrival of Respect could be enough to lose Labour seats. But what we don't know is how far the Muslim vote can be corralled. It's something that Labour strategists must be looking at right now.”
The fledging Respect party of British lawmaker and anti-war advocate George Galloway lost the race to the newly enlarged European Parliament, polling 91,000 of the 115,000 needed votes.
“We want Muslims to engage with the election process. We want to get their vote out and for people to think through the issues and not vote out of blind loyalty,” said Sher Khan, the MCB public affairs committee chairman.
Where do they get these guys?
Unbelievable. Henry the 8th brought us the Church of England, and 500 some years later, it will be replace by Islam..
They forgot to include government-sanctioned stabbings and suicide bombings.
With due respect to Rodney Dangerfield, Galloway's group should be called the "No Respect" Party.
Pushy ba$tards need to be shipped back to the Is-lame-ick gutters they created and came from, BEFORE they destroy the human civilizations that their betters created.
Ship them all out!
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