I felt angry because it dawned on me. I won not because of my popularity but because of the trauma, the upset, and the pain that have been caused to the people of Blackburn, having witnessed the first live-streamed genocide in history. So, I didn’t even have an ounce of excitement. I still don’t. The burden placed on me once I won was very heavy. I felt it then, and I feel it now.
The number one point is, why did people elect me? The vast majority elected me because they were angered by the Labour Party leader’s stance on Gaza. I want to be honest about why I was elected. I was elected because it was a protest board. In terms of local issues and Blackburn being deprived, I’ve been around Blackburn for the past 18 years. I am aware of and alert to the issues that people face daily because I am from that community. I am one of them. We are one. To say that any person who stands as a pro-Palestinian now is just a one-trick pony is just that—an illusion that’s been created by certain segments of the media as a distraction. I am still there for every single constituent in Blackburn. I will raise their voice, I will hear their problems, and I will help resolve their issues. Poverty is a problem. I’d like to work on that. The housing crisis is an issue.
People didn’t have an issue with Kate as a person or as a Member of Parliament for Blackburn; they had an issue with the party that she represented and the direction that the leadership within the Labour Party was taking. People felt a moral obligation not to continue supporting a party that had said that cutting off food, water, and electricity to besieged people was fair game. Especially when the United Nations has already, for a few weeks now, said that half a million people are expected to die of famine if we can’t get food and water into Gaza. So, the protest is not against Kate Hollande; it’s against the party that she represents.
How can genocide be divisive? It’s beyond my understanding. Innocent people being killed causes division; there’s no logic to that. If there’s any logic, it is that people are not truly aware of what’s happening on the ground. So, this is sectarianism? Because somebody is anti-killing innocent people, there’s an issue there? Genocide, or the killing or harm of innocent people, our collective aversion to this, should be uniting our communities, and that’s what I’ll be focusing on.
Absolutely, I met many non-Muslims, when I told them about what I was standing for, they were more than happy to support me in the elections. The non-Muslim population in Blackburn is disillusioned with the two-party system. People are excited about my appointment as the new Member of Parliament for Blackburn, and I’m excited to represent them. I don’t want to make a change just for one part of the community. I want to make a change for every single person living in Blackburn. They are my people. Every single person. I have a lot of love and concern for them.
Anyone who stands has priorities. My priority is in the face of genocide. I want to speak up, and I want to try to persuade our government to take decisive action. And then I’ve got many other local policies that I want to work on. I want to work for the people of Blackburn. If, after five years, the people of Blackburn feel like I am the right person to continue representing them, then that’s a decision for them. We live in a democracy, so they voted me in. Now, if they want to walk me out after five years, then that’s their choice. And if they want to keep me, then again, that’s their choice. The ballot box is what makes the decision.
Ten and a half thousand people voted for me. I’m not responsible for the actions of every single person who votes for me. But in terms of Kate supporting genocide, that’s untrue. Kate did not support genocide. She voted for a ceasefire. She has made all the right sounds; her track record shows that. But her unfortunate position was that she remained in the Labour Party, and as a result, she’s no longer in parliament. If somebody says anything of that sort, it’s not under my direct supervision or order.
Photo: Campaign poster for Adnan Hussain (Credit:adnan4mp)
Interviews with the three remaining Independent MPs will be featured in the next issue of The Muslim News. For more election coverage & daily news updates visit: muslimnews.co.uk
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