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Post by fretslider on Jun 17, 2016 13:41:12 GMT -5
At the last election there were numerous Labour party gatherings where segregation was condoned completely by the party. But it gets worse...
Now Muslim women take on Labour - Private Eye
WHILE Shami Chakrabarti investigates allegations of anti-Semitism and Islamophobia in the Labour party, discrimination against another group seems to be largely ignored.
In February the Muslim Women’s Network UK (MWN) wrote to Jeremy Corbyn detailing concerns about Muslim male councillors blocking “able, knowledgeable and independent-minded” women from standing for public office and alleging the party was colluding with “systematic misogyny” to harvest votes. The national media then aired claims about candidate selection stitch-ups and Muslim women threatened with being “shamed” if they persisted in challenging traditional male-dominated community politics.
Intimidation
Muslim women’s lack of representation on councils underlines how male-dominated Muslim community politics can be. MWN said the problem exists across the political spectrum but is a particular issue for Labour because of its high level of support in areas with large Muslim populations. Shaista Gohir, who chairs MWN, flagged up Blackburn council, “where there are 18 or 19 male Muslim councillors and no women. How can that be? It’s not possible – to me that’s discrimination. Surely one or two would have got through?”
In nearby Oldham, Labour cabinet member Arooj Shah – who was one of a number of Muslim women to speak out about their experiences of intimidation – lost her seat at last month’s elections, leaving the authority with one female and 14 male Muslim Labour councillors. Shah told Newsnight in March that damaging rumours had been spread about her and that she had had a picture of a Page Three model with her head superimposed posted through her letterbox.
Instead of acceding to MWN’s call for an independent inquiry, Labour tagged the allegations on to an existing review of minority representation in the party. As part of the process, MWN was offered a meeting with the shadow minister for women and equalities, Kate Green, two other Labour MPs, Shabana Mahmood and Kate Osamor, along with NEC member and former party chair Ann Black. But the meeting did not go well and was followed by a stinging letter from Gohir to Green accusing the party of not taking the issue seriously and formally withdrawing MWN’s support from the internal inquiry. MWN said it did not believe Labour was being impartial and that party members seemed unaware an inquiry was even taking place.
‘A whitewash’
The letter further queried Labour’s aim of completing the investigation “within weeks” – a timescale that “does not suggest that the concerns will be looked at in any detail given that the misogyny against Muslim women is happening in many different towns and cities”. Green wrote back to say the allegations were “grave concerns” and she was sorry the MWN wouldn’t be taking part in the inquiry, but it would continue.
In a statement, the party said: “The Muslim Women’s Network have declined the opportunity to engage with the Labour Party’s review. We will continue to speak to Muslim women across the country as part of a wide programme of events, visits and consultation processes through Labour’s Party’s review of Party structures. This includes, selection processes, representation, training and development.”
Gohir described the party’s response as a “whitewash”: “They won’t get to the root of the problem because they don’t want to… If they really wanted to they would have to scrutinise long-term Muslim male councillors, people who have been members or councillors for decades, and they don’t want to go there. They’re needed to get the Muslim vote out and the Labour Party will turn a blind eye.”
www.private-eye.co.uk/hp-sauce
Next time they preach equality, diversity and non discrimination it'll be hard to stop laughing.
Now Muslim women take on Labour - Private Eye
WHILE Shami Chakrabarti investigates allegations of anti-Semitism and Islamophobia in the Labour party, discrimination against another group seems to be largely ignored.
In February the Muslim Women’s Network UK (MWN) wrote to Jeremy Corbyn detailing concerns about Muslim male councillors blocking “able, knowledgeable and independent-minded” women from standing for public office and alleging the party was colluding with “systematic misogyny” to harvest votes. The national media then aired claims about candidate selection stitch-ups and Muslim women threatened with being “shamed” if they persisted in challenging traditional male-dominated community politics.
Intimidation
Muslim women’s lack of representation on councils underlines how male-dominated Muslim community politics can be. MWN said the problem exists across the political spectrum but is a particular issue for Labour because of its high level of support in areas with large Muslim populations. Shaista Gohir, who chairs MWN, flagged up Blackburn council, “where there are 18 or 19 male Muslim councillors and no women. How can that be? It’s not possible – to me that’s discrimination. Surely one or two would have got through?”
In nearby Oldham, Labour cabinet member Arooj Shah – who was one of a number of Muslim women to speak out about their experiences of intimidation – lost her seat at last month’s elections, leaving the authority with one female and 14 male Muslim Labour councillors. Shah told Newsnight in March that damaging rumours had been spread about her and that she had had a picture of a Page Three model with her head superimposed posted through her letterbox.
Instead of acceding to MWN’s call for an independent inquiry, Labour tagged the allegations on to an existing review of minority representation in the party. As part of the process, MWN was offered a meeting with the shadow minister for women and equalities, Kate Green, two other Labour MPs, Shabana Mahmood and Kate Osamor, along with NEC member and former party chair Ann Black. But the meeting did not go well and was followed by a stinging letter from Gohir to Green accusing the party of not taking the issue seriously and formally withdrawing MWN’s support from the internal inquiry. MWN said it did not believe Labour was being impartial and that party members seemed unaware an inquiry was even taking place.
‘A whitewash’
The letter further queried Labour’s aim of completing the investigation “within weeks” – a timescale that “does not suggest that the concerns will be looked at in any detail given that the misogyny against Muslim women is happening in many different towns and cities”. Green wrote back to say the allegations were “grave concerns” and she was sorry the MWN wouldn’t be taking part in the inquiry, but it would continue.
In a statement, the party said: “The Muslim Women’s Network have declined the opportunity to engage with the Labour Party’s review. We will continue to speak to Muslim women across the country as part of a wide programme of events, visits and consultation processes through Labour’s Party’s review of Party structures. This includes, selection processes, representation, training and development.”
Gohir described the party’s response as a “whitewash”: “They won’t get to the root of the problem because they don’t want to… If they really wanted to they would have to scrutinise long-term Muslim male councillors, people who have been members or councillors for decades, and they don’t want to go there. They’re needed to get the Muslim vote out and the Labour Party will turn a blind eye.”
www.private-eye.co.uk/hp-sauce
Next time they preach equality, diversity and non discrimination it'll be hard to stop laughing.
