UK Elects Politician Who Wants Men and Women Segregated in Public Spaces

A pro-Gaza independent candidate who campaigned in favor of segregating men and
women won a local election in the United Kingdom, marking another victory for
pro-Gaza independents who rose to prominence and beat other parties, such as
Reform UK and the ruling Labour Party, in elections.

> https://twitter.com/axiochrono/status/1918295027186356603

Last May 4th, residents of Burnley in Lancashire took to the polls to elect new
members of their local council. Among the election winners were two pro-Gaza
candidates, Usman Arif and Maheen Kamran. Asif won the Burnley North East, while
18-year-old Kamran was elected as a councillor in Burnley Central East.

Asif and Kamran both defeated Reform UK and the Labour Party in elections. Asif
got 2,430 votes compared to James Halstead of Reform UK, who won only 903 votes,
and Cheryl Louise Semple of the ruling Labour Party, who only gained 372 votes.
A former member of the Labour Party, Asif left the party due to disagreements
over its leadership’s stance on the conflict in the Middle East, particularly in
Gaza.

Kamran, a young medical student, won 1,357 votes or 38% of the votes, beating
Gavin Theaker of the Reform UK, who came second with 1,089 votes, and Hannah
Till of the Labour Party, who only won 485 votes.

Kamran told Politics Home that the war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas, which
left almost 55,000 Gazans dead as of May 7th, motivated her to enter the race,
arguing that a “genocide“ is taking place as a result of Israel’s war with
Hamas.

> https://twitter.com/PompeyChels79/status/1919692953963897066

She also said she wants to encourage public spaces to prevent “free mixing“
between Muslim men and Muslim women.

“There’s a big aspect of free mixing,“ Kamran said ahead of the election.
“Muslim women aren’t really comfortable with being involved with Muslim men. I’m
sure we can have segregated areas, segregated gyms, where Muslim women don’t
have to sacrifice their health.“

While two pro-Gaza candidates will sit in Burnley’s local council, Reform UK won
the most seats overall, with four of the six council seats going to Reform UK
candidates. However, their victory against Labour Party candidates reflects a
growing gap between the ruling party and British Muslim voters, who felt
disillusioned by the party’s stance on the Gaza issue.

> https://twitter.com/BeeDee1316/status/1918647219609026576

Lord Hayward, a Conservative peer and a prominent pollster, also echoed similar
sentiments.

“I don’t see Labour being able to resolve this issue with the Muslim community
in places where there are large Muslim populations,“ Hayward said.

Dr Rakib Ehsan wrote in UnHerd that a combination of left-leaning economic
policies, social conservative values, and support for Palestine is what makes
pro-Gaza independent candidates shatter Labour’s electoral dominance in
relatively deprived Muslim-majority areas, adding that many British Muslim
voters have become disillusioned not just with its stance on the Israel-Hamas
war, but also its failure to address local concerns, such as a lack of
employment opportunities and poor public services.

During the 2024 general elections in the UK, while the Labour Party won a
landslide victory, four pro-Gaza independent candidates defeated Labour
candidates, fueled by growing anger among British Muslim voters over the war in
Gaza.