A pro-Gaza independent candidate who campaigned in favor of segregating men and women won a local election in the United Kingdom, marking another victory for pro-Gaza independents who rose to prominence and beat other parties, such as Reform UK and the ruling Labour Party, in elections.
Last May 4th, residents of Burnley in Lancashire took to the polls to elect new members of their local council. Among the election winners were two pro-Gaza candidates, Usman Arif and Maheen Kamran. Asif won the Burnley North East, while 18-year-old Kamran was elected as a councillor in Burnley Central East.
Asif and Kamran both defeated Reform UK and the Labour Party in elections. Asif got 2,430 votes compared to James Halstead of Reform UK, who won only 903 votes, and Cheryl Louise Semple of the ruling Labour Party, who only gained 372 votes. A former member of the Labour Party, Asif left the party due to disagreements over its leadership’s stance on the conflict in the Middle East, particularly in Gaza.
Kamran, a young medical student, won 1,357 votes or 38% of the votes, beating Gavin Theaker of the Reform UK, who came second with 1,089 votes, and Hannah Till of the Labour Party, who only won 485 votes.
Kamran told Politics Home that the war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas, which left almost 55,000 Gazans dead as of May 7th, motivated her to enter the race, arguing that a “genocide“ is taking place as a result of Israel’s war with Hamas.
She also said she wants to encourage public spaces to prevent “free mixing“ between Muslim men and Muslim women.
“There’s a big aspect of free mixing,“ Kamran said ahead of the election. “Muslim women aren’t really comfortable with being involved with Muslim men. I’m sure we can have segregated areas, segregated gyms, where Muslim women don’t have to sacrifice their health.“
While two pro-Gaza candidates will sit in Burnley’s local council, Reform UK won the most seats overall, with four of the six council seats going to Reform UK candidates. However, their victory against Labour Party candidates reflects a growing gap between the ruling party and British Muslim voters, who felt disillusioned by the party’s stance on the Gaza issue.
Lord Hayward, a Conservative peer and a prominent pollster, also echoed similar sentiments.
“I don’t see Labour being able to resolve this issue with the Muslim community in places where there are large Muslim populations,“ Hayward said.
Dr Rakib Ehsan wrote in UnHerd that a combination of left-leaning economic policies, social conservative values, and support for Palestine is what makes pro-Gaza independent candidates shatter Labour’s electoral dominance in relatively deprived Muslim-majority areas, adding that many British Muslim voters have become disillusioned not just with its stance on the Israel-Hamas war, but also its failure to address local concerns, such as a lack of employment opportunities and poor public services.
During the 2024 general elections in the UK, while the Labour Party won a landslide victory, four pro-Gaza independent candidates defeated Labour candidates, fueled by growing anger among British Muslim voters over the war in Gaza.
