Someone is claiming on X that debate over including conservative Muslims is settled. Nope Sultana has not changed a bit. This is just the usual TA insistence that you can't say biology is a thing wrapped up in a ribbon.
Ammar Kazmi
The debate on ‘socially conservative’ views in Your Party has clearly been settled.
It’s now where it always should have been: that people are entitled to their own personal socially conservative/religious beliefs, as long as they are not discriminating against or harming others, and are prepared to work with other minority groups in the fight against our common enemies.
From what I can see, zarahsultana has come around to that position. I welcome that and I commend her for it.
That statement demoralised lots of Muslims and inevitably prevented many from joining the party. Some of that damage may be irreversible. It also gave succour to Islamophobes, who held up Sultana as a ‘good Muslim’, using her as a stick with which to beat ‘bad Muslims’ who refused to get on board with her personal views.
Sultana’s initial position unleashed a War on Terror-style liberal Islamophobia inside the party. It also contributed to unjustified abuse levelled against Adnan Hussain and Iqbal Mohamed – notwithstanding the substantive and non-Islamophobic criticisms the pair have also faced. The viciousness of some of those attacks hews close to the language used by neoconservatives towards Muslims for the past 25 years.
Yesterday, when asked about the initial statement Sultana made, jeremycorbyn told 5Pillars that it ‘was an unfortunate choice of words’.
Corbyn also said, ‘Diversity of our community is welcome within the party. ... There will be differences of view. I’ve been politically active all my life. … I think you win much more by persuasion rather than by purity tests.’
Importantly, Sultana has now resiled from her original position. Yesterday, she told Middle East Eye:
‘There are socially conservative people in all communities, in the trade union movement, in all parts of society, and we are seeking to reflect the whole country and seek their vote. So, obviously, even our membership will reflect that broad base. … As a socialist party, we have to centre the most marginalised. We see a ruling class that divides our communities. It divides Muslims, trans people, disabled people, refugees and migrants. We have to show that solidarity is how we fight back, and we have to build coalitions and work together.’
Sultana also told the Your Party Muslim Network launch attendees:
‘There will be people who hold views different to myself in this party. We are an inclusive party. We are seeking to represent the entire country. What we cannot accept is people who seek to destroy our movement by stoking up culture wars. We have to fight for everyone because an attack on one is an attack on all.’
This is a positive development.
Moreover, ShockatAdam spoke powerfully on this issue, to applause in the conference hall:
‘We must unite, we must not allow small differences to disunite us … as long as we can work together on principles of mutual respect, non-discrimination and tolerance of all people of religion or no religion.’
I was also pleased to hear a campaigner, Ginerva Grant, speak from the rostrum and say:
‘We have an electoral coalition out there, of which our Muslim brothers and sisters in places like Blackburn, Leicester and Dewsbury are an absolutely crucial part. … If we can’t hold that coalition together … then we won’t win. … We shouldn’t hear anything in this debate about how “all the Independent MPs care about is Gaza”. Comrades, that’s just a lie and a racist one at that.’
This has all been deeply reassuring and I would say to any Muslims who remain sceptical about whether they have a place in Your Party: join and campaign for the party that you want to see exist.
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