And so it begins…The Gorton and Denton by-election and the alarming rise of sectarianism in British politics

‘Sectarian voting and cheating’.  So said Nigel Farage in his comment on the Gorton and Denton by-election win for the Green party, and it would seem more than justified.  It will be remembered that Gorton and Denton has a very large British-Pakistani population.  Traditionally they have voted Labour, but on this occasion the Greens’ candidate, Hannah Spencer, exploited what she branded Labour’s failure to support Palestine, accusing them of promoting instead, “racist, dog whistle gutter policies”.

Leaflets were issued in Urdu and Bengali proclaiming her support for Palestine and calling on voters ‘to punish Labour for Gaza’.  She was even photographed outside a local mosque wearing a keffiyah, the traditional Middle-Eastern Arab headdress that has become such a symbol of cultural identity and resistance.

Muslim voters apparently lapped it up, deserting in droves the party traditionally seen as championing their interests, in favour of a candidate who was unashamedly giving her support to Islamic demands to crush Israel, and establish a Palestinian state ‘from the river to the sea’.

But it gets worse. Democracy Volunteers, the polling observer group certified by the Electoral Commission to monitor voting and detail suspected electoral fraud, reported at Gorton & Denton ‘concerningly high levels’ of family voting.  This has been a long-standing and recognised issue in Muslim areas, of course, where women vote as directed by their husbands or fathers – sometimes on multiple occasions – and has been declared illegal.  However, the polling observer group reported on this occasion the highest level of family voting seen at any election in their ten-year history.  John Ault, head of Democracy Volunteers, said, “We rarely issue a report on the night of an election, but the data we have collected today on family voting, when compared to other recent by-elections, is extremely high.”

Should we be alarmed?  Yes, we should.  If what has been reported is true, this is a deliberate and unashamed effort to undermine British democracy, exploiting tactical voting to establish the interests of groups that are, at base, hostile to the interests of the general public.  The Greens’ success is a victory not for environmental democratisation and what they see as a fairer world, but for Islam, which demands total and absolute compliance with Sharia law and obedience to the prophet.

As British Muslim communities grow stronger and spread, we are already seeing their political influence grow and this is significant because, unlike followers of other faiths or no faith, they have an unusual tendency to vote en bloc, according to where they feel their best interests will be served.  Indeed, there have long been rumours that the long-term aim is to establish an independent, dedicated Muslim party, which will ultimately become the dominant force in Government and take control, so that the UK becomes an Islamic State.  Support for Palestine and the growth in anti-Semitism is an alarming manifestation of what such a victory might mean.

The political aspirations of a worrying proportion of  Muslims do not sit well with British democracy.  In Islamic countries, non-believers are all too often barely tolerated, and sectarian violence against other religious groups is common.  Christians especially live in danger of discrimination, harassment, intimidation, physical attack and genocide.  If Muslims take political control of the UK, it can be anticipated that the same behaviour will be replicated here.

In her manipulative and unprincipled campaign, Hannah Spencer may think she has been very clever, but by her calculated exploitation of racial and religious division, she has taken hold of a snake by the tail.  Whatever one’s political persuasion and affiliation, the voters of Britain, who genuinely value democracy, should be alarmed.
This article by Lynda first appeared in Christian Today and is reproduced with permission.