As the May 7 local elections approach, Muslims should back independent candidates who are pro-Muslim, anti-Islamophobia and anti-genocide, Roshan Muhammed Salih writes.
The message from 5Pillars ahead of tomorrow’s local elections is simple: vote independent to deal Labour a major blow and force Prime Minister Keir Starmer to resign.
Where there are strong independent candidates standing in your area — candidates who are anti-genocide, pro-Muslim, anti-Islamophobia, and genuinely committed to their local communities — vote for them.
In areas such as Birmingham, East London, West Yorkshire and Greater Manchester, there will be plenty of such candidates to choose from.
If there aren’t good independents standing in your area, vote for an alternative such as the Greens. And under no circumstances vote Labour, Tory or Reform.
A rare opportunity for Muslims
Local elections do not typically mobilise Muslims in the same way that general elections do, and that is understandable. But these particular local elections are different.
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They represent a rare and concrete opportunity to send Labour a clear, unambiguous message: that Muslims reject the party because it supported Israel during its genocide of the Palestinians.
We are already seeing Labour candidates confronted by angry Muslims outside mosques during canvassing — and rightly so. Even senior Muslim Labour figures such as Afzal Khan MP have refused to call what is happening in Gaza a genocide, bound as they are by a party line that prohibits them from speaking the truth.
Muslims are fed up, and this Thursday is a chance to say so at the ballot box.
There is also a bigger prize on the table. A disastrous set of results for Labour could realistically force Prime Minister Keir Starmer to resign. We should be clear-eyed about what that would mean: a chance to take his political scalp and say, with justification, that we delivered consequences for his complicity in the Gaza genocide. That is not a small thing. That is accountability.
So the hierarchy is straightforward.
- First, vote for a good independent candidate if one is standing in your area.
- If not, consider left-wing alternatives such as the Greens or other parties that align with our values.
Editorial credit: Rupert Rivett / Shutterstock.com
Under no circumstances should you vote Labour, Reform, or Conservative. And make sure your parents, grandparents, and community members understand this too.
Should Muslims vote at all?
To those who say Muslims should not vote at all — we respect that position entirely.
There is a legitimate argument that our energies are better spent organising outside of the parliamentary system, and that electoral politics is not where the real power lies.
Personally, I lean towards that view as a long-term outlook. But if a halal tool is available that can benefit the Muslim community, even incrementally, then we should use it.
Boycotting the vote and tactically deploying it are not mutually exclusive positions — both come from the same place of refusing to be taken for granted.
This Thursday, let us make that refusal count.
Vote independent. If no good independent stands in your area, vote left. Do not vote Labour, Reform, or Tory — under any circumstances.
