Haroon Saleem says there is simply no one decent out there to vote for if you’re a British Muslim.
“The smart way to keep people passive and obedient is to strictly limit the spectrum of acceptable opinion, but allow a very lively debate within that spectrum” – Noam Chomsky.
Thursday 22nd May saw local and European elections across the country, an election eagerly anticipated by many with the emergence of a fourth party in mainstream British politics – Nigel Farage and his ungodly allegiance of racists, euro-sceptics, bigots and fascists have undoubtedly made their mark on the British political landscape.
This was the last big opportunity for the egomaniacal political class, the career politicians and the private school boys to flex their muscles and prove to their parties that they are indeed the best people to lead the way; the last barometer of success before next year’s general election and an alternative of gauging public opinion other than You Gov polls.
So as Muslims in the UK, what has our role been in the whole process?
It has often been argued by many in the Muslim community that Muslims (particularly young Muslims) need to partake in the democratic process. The Muslim Council of Britain earlier this month urged all Muslims to vote with Talha Ahmad, chair of its membership committee, saying : “Political awareness is very low.”
According to an article on the BBC website at the 2010 UK general election, 53% of Muslims did not vote, according to a study by research company Ipsos Mori for the Electoral Commission. This was a higher percentage than any other religious group in the country.
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As a minority the Muslim population has always tended to vote Labour and Lib Dem, these parties being more sympathetic to social reforms and social justice, and the feeling is that Labour embodies the struggles of the minorities far better that the Tories.
According to new Theos/ComRes research, if there were a general election tomorrow, 35% of voting Muslims (meaning those Muslims who claim they are more likely than not to vote) would vote Labour. This compares with 22% of voting Christians and 23% of the entire voting population.
By comparison, whereas 30% of the voting population would tick the Conservative box, only 13% of voting Muslims would do so.
Political awareness
With the Muslim turnout continuing to get lower is it possible that Mr Ahmed and other detractors are right? Is the lack of political knowledge within the Muslim communities leading to Muslims not voting? The opposite seems to be true.
British Muslims possess the youngest demographic profile of all UK religious groups with over a third being under the age of 16, and a further 32% between the ages of 17 –34. The whole notion that a young Muslim population lacks political awareness for me is simply untrue.
Muslims are as politically aware as any other religious or ethnic group in the country. However, the feeling of being disengaged with mainstream politics is simply down to the diversity of the political spectrum – there was nothing on the ballet paper on May 22 or in the up-and-coming election next year that would encourage me to vote.
Where is the vote for a just social system where Muslims are not being systematically required to reform beliefs in line with secular liberalism? Where on the ballot paper is a party that will stop demonising the Muslim community? Where on the ballot paper is the party that will rid the world of a global capitalist corporacracy which has allowed the big corporations to bleed nations and the working man dry whilst accumulating vast amounts of wealth in the process?
Where on the ballot paper is a party that will bring justice to those suffering at the hand of tyrannical regimes? Who will stand side by side with the Palestians, the Somalians, the people of Kashmir, Iraq, Afghanistan and those who face US drone missiles on a daily basis; those facing the death penalty in Egypt; those who will tackle the AIDS epidemic in Africa and fight global poverty?
I don’t see any party on the ballot paper offering me a solution to the narrative that defines mine and many other Muslims’ political attitudes.
Many will argue that it is a change from within that is required and argue against a perceived political apathy of Muslims. And of course political apathy of Muslims is something which needs to be challenged at every level, from mosques to madrassas to schools, universities and the work place.
This is usually coupled with the “vote for the lesser evil” argument. Is it good enough to give ones endorsement to a political party which embodies a certain ethos, a set of values to govern just because they are perceived to be not as bad as the other party?
Surely if one has a belief of set morals, values and ethics like most Muslims possess it would be in direct contradiction to support/endorse or vote for a political party that not only does not support but in some cases outright opposes them? If this continues to be the case and the same political parties running on the same regurgitated manifestos continually get voted in because one is less liberal than the other, or one is less racist or one is less secular then how will spectrum ever increase?
Illusion of choice
The illusion of choice is rife in British politics as well as western democracies across the world. The real issues, the economy, war, are consistent with all major parties in the UK.
There are those who claim that being part of the process can help you bring about change. This is a noble goal if that is indeed why one chooses to make a career of politics. However the state of affairs would suggest otherwise. Out of the local councillors, parish councillors, county councillors, canvassers, volunteers and even MP’s that are Muslim how much change for the positive have they been able to bring about for our community and the beliefs that shape it?
Years of voting Labour and working with Labour resulted in two foreign invasions, a million dead, unequivocal support for Israel, a botched PREVENT agenda seeking to demonise the Muslim community, our rights restricted and our beliefs questioned. It is fair to say the time has come to look at other avenues.
There are however hope – George Galloway’s sensational win at the Bradford West by-election provided the political elite with exactly the right message from the British Muslim community.
The aim of this piece is not to persuade people not to vote, or argue against those that chose to, it is simply to express the reason I choose not to. There is fallacy to the notion of not voting, there are many that argue that Muslims must vote regardless of what is on the ballot paper.
I have never quite understood or been able to rationalise such a position. I chose not to vote in an election that offers no real change, to be complicit in the bureaucracy, of the lies been sold under the banner of democracy.
The Muslim community is not alone in feeling disengaged with mainstream politics, the average working class men and women of this country feel the same way. However the problem lies when the disengagement turns into political apathy as opposed to a desire to bring about change, real change, lasting change.
This is a battle of ideas of the hearts and minds of the people. Not voting can mean laziness, being uninterested, political apathy but a no vote can also be a no confidence vote, no confidence in the political elite and their big business backers, no confidence in the political spectrum, no confidence in the political system as a whole. Often this can be the most powerful tool.
