ELECTION GUIDE
MAY 5th 2005
CONSTITUENCY:
Brent North
MUSLIM DEMOGRAPHICS:
| Muslim Population* |
10,760 |
12.3% |
| Muslims of Voting Age |
6,886 |
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2001 ELECTION RESULT:
| Labour |
20,149 |
 |
59% |
| Tory |
9,944 |
 |
29% |
| Lib Dem |
3,846 |
 |
11% |
| Others |
2,324 |
 |
8% |
| Total Turnout |
33,939 |
58% |
| Majority |
10,205 |
|
CANDIDATES:
Barry Gardiner (Labour)
Summary
Barry Gardiner
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LABOUR
Brent North |
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Voting History
War
 Voted for Invasion of Iraq ( Iraq - Declaration of War, 18 Mar 2003)
Absent for voted on Air strikes on Afghanistan (Coalition Against International Terrorism, 1 Nov 2001)
Anti-Terror Laws
Voted for Indefinite detention without charge, without trial (Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Bill - Clauses 22 to 24 - Indefinite Detention - 21 Nov 2001)
Voted for Renewal of above law (Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001 - Renewal of Part 4 sections 21-23 - 3 Mar 2004)
Voted for Control orders – house arrests (Prevention of Terrorism Bill - Third Reading - 28 Feb 2005)
Muslim Schools
 Voted against Proposed amendment to Education Bill forcing all new state funded religious schools to reserve at least a quarter of places to children from other faiths thereby effectively destroying the religious ethos of the school. This disproportionately targeted the Muslim community as out of around 7000 existing state funded religious schools that would escape this law only 4 were Muslim - all new Muslim schools would be effected.(Education Bill - New Clause 1 6 Feb 2002)
Early Day Motions
Islamophobia
Did not sign EDM on Call for BBC to sack Kilroy-Silk for his racist comments. (EDM 383, 08.01.04)
Halal Meat
Did not sign EDM on Call for the government to work actively to end religious slaughter in the UK (EDM 104, 26.11.03)
Hijab
Did not sign EDM on Call for UK & EU partners to protest France's ban on religious symbols in schools. (EDM 461, 21.01.04)
Israel
Did not sign EDM on Call for suspension of EU-Israel Association Agreement which gives Israel preferential trade terms with the EU. (EDM 1288, 26.05.04)
Did not sign EDM on Call for sanctions against Israel for not complying with the International Court of Justice decision on the illegality of the separation wall.(EDM 162, 24.11.04)
US
Did not sign EDM exposing double standards in US foreign policy regarding terrorism and democracy. (EDM 664, 04.02.05)
Election Survey:
Questionnaire not returned.
If you live in this constituency we request that you email our sample letter to this candidate asking them to respond - its your right to know what your candidate stands for. Failure to respond may be interpreted as a candidates unwilling to clarify his or her real position and a disregard for the concerns of Muslim constituents.
Other Information
Barry Gardiner is a member of the shadowy group Labour Friends of Israel that does Israels bidding in the British parliament. In October 1999 Labour Friends of Israel paid for Barry Gardinaer to visit Israel and meet "senior Israeli leaders" so that they can share their vision of Israel with him.[1]
Barry Gardiner also boasts on his website that he "founded Labour Friends of India".[2] And as
Chairman of Labour Friends of India
he has used his position in parliament to supress any genuine discussion on Kashmir and instead portrays their struggle for liberation as terrorism and the Indian army's gross abuses of human rights in Kashmir as a "war on terror". He has also asked about an arms embargo against Pakistan.[4]
His voting record indicates that he has total contempt for his Muslim constituents - he has voted for war and for every single anti-terror legislation that Blunkett has thought up. His contempt was further demonstrated recently when he was heard arrogantly confirming to the congregation leaving jumma prayers at Ealing Road Mosque that he, their MP, was a Friend of Israel!
In his statement page on Israel-Palestine he refers to the second intifada as a "wicked mistake" and accuses Palestinians of using "children as shock troops" and of "actively encouraging their own children to commit suicide in the murder of innocent Jewish citizens".[3]
[1] House of Commons - Reginster of Members Interests.
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/
cm199899/
cmregmem/memi11.htm
[2] http://www.labour.org.uk/maps/locinfo.phtml?ctid=2712
[3]
http://www.barrygardiner.labour.co.uk/ViewPage.cfm?Page=3780
[4]
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm199900/
cmhansrd/vo000316/text/00316w09.htm
Havard Hughes (Lib-Dem)
Summary
Havard Hughes
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LIBERAL DEMOCRAT
Brent North |
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Voting History/Early Day Motions
Not Applicable
Election Survey:
Questionnaire not returned.
If you live in this constituency we request that you email our sample letter to this candidate asking them to respond - its your right to know what your candidate stands for. Failure to respond may be interpreted as a candidates unwilling to clarify his or her real position and a disregard for the concerns of Muslim constituents.
Other Information
Harvard Hughes is a councillor for the ward Wembley Central.
Bob Blackman
(Tory)
Summary
Bob Blackman
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CONSERVATIVE
Brent North |
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Voting History/Early Day Motions
Not Applicable
Election Survey:
Questionnaire not returned.
If you live in this constituency we request that you email our sample letter to this candidate asking them to respond - its your right to know what your candidate stands for. Failure to respond may be interpreted as a candidates unwilling to clarify his or her real position and a disregard for the concerns of Muslim constituents.
Other Information
He has been a councillor for Brent since 1986, and is a member of the London Assembly (GLA). As a member of the GLA he has attacked Ken Livingstone for inviting Sheikh
Qaradawi
to London.[1]
[1] Ken defends cleric, by Daniella Peled, 13 Jan 2005. http://www.totallyjewish.com/news/stories/?disp_type=0&disp_story=vcxlDg
Babar Ahmad (Peace & Progress)
Summary
Babar Ahmad
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PEACE & PROGRESS
Brent North |
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Voting History/Early Day Motions
Not applicable.
Election Survey:
Questionnaire not sent.
Other Information
Babar Ahmad is a British citizen who was born and brought up in South London.
In December 2003 he was arrested by Anti-Terrorist Police who broke into his house in a pre-dawn raid. He was then brutally assaulted in front of his wife. He sustained over 50 injuries to his body, two of which were life-threatening. During this attack Babar was placed in the prayer position and asked, "Where is your God now?"
After six days of intensive investigation and interrogation he was released WITHOUT CHARGE.
Babar filed a complaint against the police officers who assaulted him. Despite photographic evidence of his injuries, independent medical reports and eye-witness statements, the Crown Prosecution Service decided that there was "insufficient evidence" to prosecute any of the officers involved.
Eight months later, on 5th August 2004 Babar was re-arrested on an Extradition Warrant from the United States of America. Under the Extradition Act 2003, British citizens can be extradited to the US without the need
for the US to provide prima facie evidence to support the
extradition request. The US has itself refused to allow its
citizens to be extradited to the UK under the same
conditions!
So whilst Babar has broken no laws in this country, he is not evn accused of anything in this country, and the US has not provided any evidence against him, he is never the less imprisoned in Woodhill Prison, as a British Political Prisoner, whilst awaiting Extradition proceedings.
If he is extradited to the US he may end up in Guantanamo and may face a military commission and may even be executed.
For more information see:
1. http://www.peaceandprogress.org/election/babaraddress.htm
2. http://www.freebabarahmad.com
Conclusions
Babar Ahmad is standing as an MP in order to make a political stand against the injustice that has lead to the predicament he is facing today and many others will no doubt face tommorrow. A vote for him sends the clearest message to the government - it says no to detentions without trial, no to secret prisons and torture, and no to this unfair extradition treaty. And if he was to win, although this is unlikely but not impossible, and become an MP it would surely put an end to his extradition. Vote for Babar Ahmad.
Election Guide Home
* Our figures are conservative reflecting the minimal strength of the Muslim vote:
1. The Muslim population figures are taken from the 2001 census. The religion question was optional and many Muslims did not feel comfortable giving out this information if wasn't a requirement. (This writer knows of two members of his own family who did not answer this question out of fear that one day this data will be used to discriminate against them).
2. Our statistics assume only 64% of the Muslim population is of voting age (18+). This figure is much lower than the national average because the Muslim population is the youngest in the country with 34% under the age of 16 (the national average is 20% under 16). Please note that our estimates are slightly less than those given on the MCB website.
(source http://www.statistics.gov.uk)
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