A Liberal Democrat politician is facing a £98,000 bill for costs after losing a court challenge claiming he failed to win a seat because of the “Islamification” of politics in Birmingham.
Shamsur Rehman claimed his Muslim Labour rival in the Washwood Heath ward won Birmingham City Council seat after posting a threat on Facebook that if Muslims did not vote for him, they would “go to hell”.
But at an election court on Thursday his claim was dismissed after a judge ruled there was no evidence that any kind of corruption took plac e.
Mr Rehman, who represented himself at the four-day hearing, has now been left will a legal bill that could run close to £100,000.
During the case the court heard how the Washwood Heath seat was won by Coun Ansar Ali Khan in May of this year with a thumping majority of 7,805 – the largest in Birmingham.
Mr Rehman alleged that what swung the vote was a posting on Coun Khan’s Facebook page a month before the election.
This showed Coun Khan, along with other Labour politicians, photographed with the highly influential leader of the Victoria Road Mosque in Aston, Pir Siddiqui.
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A caption had been added to the photo which said: “All Pir Sahiban and Darbars in Birmingham have ordered Mureeds to Vote Labour in elections.”
Mr Rehman, who is himself a Muslim, told the court that the “clear meaning” behind the caption was that the religious leader was urging his followers to vote Labour and if they did not, “after they died, they would go to hell”.
He told the judge, Timothy Straker QC who is sitting as a commissioner, that he had bought the petition to prevent the “Islamification of the political process” in Birmingham.
“The Muslim community need to clean up their act and get their own house in order,” he said.
“That is the principle of why I am fighting this case. Unless you put a stop to this, religion will take over politics in this city.”
The judge ruled there was no evidence Coun Khan had posted the offending Facebook caption and that “confusion” still surrounded exactly who did.
He dismissed Mr Rehman’s petition claiming that Coun Khan had used undue spiritual influence.
The judge also awarded costs – expected to be around £98,000 – against Mr Rehman and ordered that he make an initial payment of £40,000 towards that sum within 28 days.
