Despite a rise in Islamophobic sentiment, the recent U.K. election saw a historic milestone with 25 Muslims elected to the House of Commons.
Notably, several pro-Palestine independent candidates clinched former Labour strongholds. These new independents include Shockat Adam in Leicester South, Iqbal Mohamed in Dewsbury and Batley, Adnan Hussain in Blackburn, and Ayoub Khan in Birmingham Perry Barr.
This marks a significant increase from 19 Muslim MPs in 2019 and 15 in 2017. The U.K.’s Muslim population, numbering 3.4 million, proves to be electorally significant and diverse in their voting patterns.
A historic eight first-time Muslim candidates won seats, highlighting a day of firsts for both Labour and independent candidates. Among those elected, 15 are from Labour, four as independents, and two from Conservative tickets.
New notable Labour MPs include Sadik Al-Hassan in North Somerset, Abtisam Mohamed in Sheffield Central, and Zubir Ahmed in Glasgow South West.
With 89 MPs from ethnic minority backgrounds, the new parliament is set to be the most diverse in history, according to British Future.
Key Victories and Campaigns:
- Sadik Al-Hassan (Labour, North Somerset): Pharmacist Sadik Al-Hassan unseated Conservative Liam Fox, who held the seat for 32 years, by securing 19,138 votes. Al-Hassan’s campaign focused on improving public services, including the NHS and social care.
- Abtisam Mohamed (Labour, Sheffield Central): Abtisam Mohamed, daughter of a Yemeni steelworker, became the first Yemeni MP in the U.K., winning with 52.1% of the vote. She emphasized advocating for peace in the Middle East and addressing the Israel-Palestine conflict.
- Zubir Ahmed (Labour, Glasgow South West): Transplant surgeon Zubir Ahmed defeated SNP’s Chris Stephens with 15,552 votes. His campaign centered on addressing NHS challenges from his professional perspective.
The influence of Muslim voters and the strength of free-Palestine campaigns were evident, with five independent candidates, including four Muslims, winning seats. In Ilford North, British-Palestinian Leanne Mohamad narrowly lost to Labour’s Wes Streeting by 528 votes.
Reports indicate that there are 20 U.K. constituencies where more than 30% of the electorate are Muslims, all of which elected Labour MPs in 2019. Among these, Birmingham Hodge Hill has the highest Muslim population at 62%, followed by Bradford West at 59%, Ilford South at 44%, and Leicester South at 32%.
Newly Elected Muslim MPs:
- Labour, re-elected:
- Mohammad Yasin, Bradford
- Rushanara Ali (F), Bethnal Green and Bow
- Tahir Ali, Birmingham, Hall Green
- Shabana Mahmood (F), Birmingham, Ladywood
- Yasmin Qureshi, Bolton Southeast
- Imran Hussain, Bradford East
- Naz Shah Akhtar (F), Bradford West
- Zarah Sultana (F), Coventry South
- Afzal Khan, Manchester, Gorton
- Rosena Allin-Khan Chantelle (F), Tooting
- Rupa Huq Asha (F), Ealing
- Labour, new members:
- Naushabah Khan Parveen (F)
- Zubir Ahmed
- Abtisam Mohamed (F)
- Miatta Fahnbulleh (F)
- Sadik Al-Hassan Adam
- Independent, new members:
- Ayoub Khan
- Iqbal Mohamed Hussain
- Shockat Adam Patel
- Conservative, re-elected:
- Saqib Bhatti, Meriden
- Nus Ghani (F), Wealden
- Liberal Democrat, re-elected:
- Munira Wilson (F), Twickenham
