Elham Asaad Buaras
Independent MP Iqbal Mohamed, representing Dewsbury and Batley, used his maiden speech in the House of Commons to demand that the UK Government “halt the genocide” in Gaza and address what he described as the country’s “double standards.” Mohamed condemned politicians who “line up” to criticise Russian aggression in Ukraine while simultaneously defending “the most heinous crimes of Israel.”
Mohamed is one of four pro-Palestinian Independents who won seats after defeating Labour MPs, capitalising on public discontent over Labour’s stance on the Middle East crisis. Alongside Shockat Adam, Ayoub Khan, and Adnan Hussain, he has joined a newly formed parliamentary group led by former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.
Speaking on October 29, Mohamed responded to criticism framing his election and that of other Independents as a threat to democracy. “My election had nothing to do with sectarian politics or caricatures about Muslim voters being manipulated by their spiritual leaders,” he clarified. “It had everything to do with the state of our country and the raw anger over Tory complicity and Labour’s refusal to call out the unfolding genocide in Palestine.” Mohamed asserted that the “ongoing genocide” in Gaza significantly influenced his victory. Referencing local concerns, he said: “When the Prime Minister endorsed the rights of the Israeli government to cut off water and electricity to the people of Gaza, people in Dewsbury and Batley said, ‘No, not in our name’.”
The MP emphasised widespread public desire for an “immediate ceasefire” and an end to the UK’s support of Israeli actions. “They are sick and tired of the double standards, with politicians lining up to condemn and sanction Russian aggression in Ukraine, yet defend the most heinous crimes of Israel,” Mohamed argued.
Reiterating the need for equal compassion, he remarked, “The compassion for Palestinian lives is not inversely proportional to the compassion for Israeli lives or vice versa. All lives are equal, and our compassion must also be equal.”
Mohamed criticised the Government’s actions, calling the Prime Minister’s call for a ceasefire “meaningless” if it continues to support Israel. He condemned Foreign Secretary David Lammy’s refusal to acknowledge the genocide in Gaza, which he said “misrepresents what genocide is” and minimises the Palestinian experience.
He extended his criticism beyond foreign policy, also targeting the Government’s domestic policies. In addition to the Gaza crisis, Mohamed also slammed the government’s plans to remove winter fuel payments for some pensioners and maintain the two-child benefit caps.
Mohamed voiced concerns about recent anti-Muslim rhetoric, referencing Conservative leadership candidate Robert Jenrick’s controversial comment that Muslims should be arrested for saying “Allahu Akbar” in public. “As a British Muslim person of colour, I am alarmed when I hear one of the candidates in the Tory leadership contest say that one million migrants should be deported and Muslims should be arrested for saying Allahu Akbar, which just means ‘God is the greatest’ because I know who the real beneficiaries of those comments will be,” he said.
Warning of the dangers of such rhetoric, he continued: “We saw where this kind of rhetoric leads – riots on our street, asylum shelters attacked, religious institutions besieged by mobs, families and communities terrorised. This place must set an example for the people of Britain to follow. We must root out racism and bigotry and reject any narrative that seeks to blame asylum seekers and immigrant communities for the decades of austerity that has eroded the fabric of once secure communities.”
Photo: Independent MP Iqbal Mohamed, representing Dewsbury and Batley, used his maiden speech to call on the UK Government to “halt the genocide” in Gaza. (Credit: WikiCommons)
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