Why is it that Muslims organising always has to be ‘dangerous’?

With a startling decline in support for Labour in these seats, some politicians and the media have taken to painting a picture of sectarian politics, insurgency and intimidation, with much of this directed at Muslims and their organisations. As Labour have suffered heavy losses in select constituencies due to their position on Gaza, the success of the anti-genocide movement and The Muslim Vote has been used to portray the organisation of Muslims as “dangerous”.

As Labour’s position on the situation in Gaza has shifted only recently, candidates have been challenged by voters on the party’s support for Israel. Instead of showing contrition after tens of thousands of Palestinians have been killed at the hands of the Israeli state, Labour candidates have construed this questioning as harassment from pro-Palestine activists, with some suggesting that they lost votes to independent candidates through intimidation.

Labour struggled particularly in areas with large Muslim populations. Rather than complaining of sectarianism and intimidation by Muslims, Labour MPs who have lost or almost lost to Independent candidates need to look at the reasons why they have lost their democratic mandate.

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Some Labour MPs have spun an Islamophobic narrative that they were intimidated by Muslim voters and pro-Palestine activists in order to explain their losses. In Birmingham Yardley, Labour MP Jess Phillips (below) beat pro-Palestinian candidate Jody McIntyre by only 693 votes.

During her acceptance speech, Phillips was booed after suggesting her majority dropped due to harassment from McIntyre’s supporters rather than any contrition on her record. Phillips yelled back: “I understand that a strong woman standing up to you is met with such reticence.” Many saw this as a slur at Muslim men. Phillips repeated this in the press and only

backtracked on LBC days later after she was called out for using an Islamophobic trope by insinuating that she had been intimidated by Muslim men.

Shabana Mahmood and others have also complained that they were intimidated by Muslim voters and pro-Palestine supporters, who have questioned Labour’s position on Gaza. These MPs have taken to portraying a dangerous Muslim political force rather than addressing their own failings and addressing the concerns of the people.

Building on the rhetoric of intimidation, the right-wing media has pushed the narrative of a rise in political sectarianism and the dangers posed by Muslims organising around the General Election.

(Image: Stefan Rousseau)

Campaign group The Muslim Vote in particular has been targeted by right-wing commentators as an “insurgent force” that threatens the future of British politics. Writing for The Telegraph, Jake Wallis Simons, editor at The Jewish Chronicle, suggested that The Muslim Vote operates through an “Islamist lens” and wanted to “radicalise” Labour foreign policy. He also went on to accuse those associated with The Muslim Vote of

having extremist links and ideologies. Similarly, those who booed Jess Phillips have been labelled a pro-Palestine “mob” and “thugs” elsewhere in the media, drawing on Islamophobic tropes to depict Muslims as a danger to British democracy.

The right-wing media have carried a number of articles warning of the dangers of “sectarianism” as a result of Muslims organising and accused independent candidates of running solely on “Gaza politics”. Writing for The Times, Fiona Hamilton exaggerated accusations of intimidation by pro-Gaza independents and Muslim activists against Labour. Such narratives are being used to vilify pro-Palestine supporters, while words like “harassment and abuse” are being repeated to portray Muslim political participation as a threat to British politics.

Though right-wing media outlets have taken to fearmongering around Muslim and anti-genocide political campaigning, Palestine is one issue among other domestic concerns advocated by these candidates.

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The anti-genocide movement and The Muslim Vote have made a huge impact on voters, which has contributed to Labour’s losses in some parliamentary constituencies. Labour MP Zarah Sultana herself stated that Labour lost much support because they are out of touch with what the public want, which in addition to a ceasefire and a ban on arms sales, is to acknowledge Islamophobia.

In the months immediately after October 7, polling showed that support for Labour among British Muslims had fallen drastically as a result of their position on Gaza with only 43% saying they would vote for the party. Though Labour recently changed their position, for a long time, they continued to support Israel and refused to vote for a ceasefire even after thousands of Palestinians had been killed by the Israeli state, which Sultana said was a “stain on their record”.

On the other hand, pro-Palestine independent candidates have made significant gains by listening to the people. Five pro-Palestine independent candidates managed to unseat Labour rivals across the country.

Jeremy Corbyn won as independent MP for Islington North, while independent Shockat Adam unseated shadow cabinet member Jonathan Ashworth in Leicester South. Though Wes Streeting, who managed to secure his seat by a narrow margin in Ilford North, admitted that the party’s stance on Gaza had cost Labour seats, Labour MPs have failed to get to the heart of the reasons why Muslim voters and others have lost confidence in the party and address what is important to the Muslim community and others.

As Labour take their place as the government, the party needs to look at why it lost its democratic mandate among many voters. Though Muslim groups and pro-Palestine activists have organised to impact votes in favour of anti-genocide candidates, Labour losses are not a result of Muslim intimidation as some politicians have claimed, but rather the lack of contrition shown by the party in relation to human rights abuses as the genocide in Gaza rages on.

Politicians cannot resort to accusations of harassment and criminal behaviour to avoid questions they do not want to answer. By depicting Muslim political participation as dangerous and sectarian, politicians and the media are doing more to alienate Muslim voters and stoke further divisions in British society.