Women's rights organisation says Muslim women 'blocked from seeking office by male Labour councillors'

A leading women’s charity have written a letter to Jeremy Corbyn to complain about “systematic misogyny” which saw female Muslims being blocked from seeking office by male Labour councillors.
Muslim Women’s Network UK (MWNUK) called on the Labour leader to investigate the “systematic misogyny displayed by significant numbers of Muslim male local councillors” during the selection process for new election candidates.
MWNUK’s chairwoman Shaista Gohir said the problem was not limited to Labour and said she had also written to David Cameron but “from our experience” Muslim women were more affected by Labour councillors due their concentration in certain towns and cities.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/leading-womens-rights-organisation-says-Muslim-women-blocked-from-seeking-office-by-male-labour-a6857096.html

Well I keep being told Islam teaches gender equality.
First schools where where Islamist infiltrated the highest levels of schools to impose an extreme religious doctrine completely at odds with British law and culture.
Now we see elected members and their lefty appeasers, (if this is found to be true, of which I have no doubt that it is) discriminating against women from holding office. Now where on earth would that discrimination and prejudice towards women stem from.

Any takers?




Now minorities should have the same rights as everyone under the law, that should have equality under the law.
But talk about yet again the most perfect propaganda for the far right to have, that if this is true, that Muslims will be seen to not be trusted in holding office based on inequality.. And this is the real problem, its not anything the far right are inventing, these are things that are happening in the UK. Anti_Muslim bigotry rises from Salafist Muslims that do wrong and are at odds with the British way of life, Which fits into the Far Right hate methodology. This is why its time the Muslim community started  to stand up and be counted. Condemn extremist doctrine being taught in the UK like Salfism. Condemn if found to be true these Councillors. Recognise that in reality it is hardliner Salfist Muslims more than anything, making life in Britain for the majority of Muslims a nightmare, but they have also been too silent for too long and constantly defensive. Now they need to act and separate themselves from the Salafist Muslims. If on the other hand again Muslims continue to keep vastly silent on this, then again they allow themselves for Muslims to suffer, as they are failing to separate the majority of British Muslims for the Salafist Muslims. Then the far right hate is directed at all Muslims again and anti-Muslim bigotry rises on 3 factors.

The acts of Hartline Muslims
The Hate of the Far right
The continued majority silence by British Muslims to separate Salfism/ Wahhabism, the doctrines of ISIS, Boko Haram, Taliban, Al-Qaeda etc


That is why British Muslims now more than ever need to  stand up and be counted, because they are themselves allowing the hate to grow, because they fail to condemn the Salafist doctrine. Everyone needs to condemn the Salafist doctrine, so the far right are not allowed to capitalize on this to use as hate, as no Muslims show suffer any hate, but we have to lay the blame at these problems squarely on Salafist doctrine. If Muslims then condemn this doctrine, it would be the most powerful message they could give and show unity against such a extreme doctrine, which allows for the hate of other Muslims

Sodem, as long as they do not get into office here then I don't give a flying frog.

Stormee wrote:Sodem, as long as they do not get into office here then I don't give a flying frog.

No, we champion equality, as that is now very much a part of British culture and by saying sod them, allows those in office to remain in office, when they could be found guilt of sexual discrimination. And have them then disqualified. I mean no matter how bonkers a person is by wanting to become an active member of Labours and by extension an active member on the council or as a Councillor. Then we should all get behind her if this Labour area is found to be in breach of the equality act 2010. What she should also do is also charge them  on religious discrimination as well.
Now I wonder who will grasp the massive significance on doing that.

This is very interesting what she admitted to here as well:



She wrote: "As this is an open secret and has been going on for decades, we can only assume that the Labour Party has been complicit at the highest levels.

She accused senior Labour figures of "deliberately turning a blind eye" to the treatment of Muslim women because "votes [are] more important to them".

Speaking to BBC’s Newsnight, Ms Gohir said these men had a "certain cultural mindset (no fundamentally Islamic)" and operate a "male, brotherly kinship system (so does Islam, where Muslims are viewed as brothers and sisters) ".

"They don’t like women being empowered. Why? Because we are going to challenge the status quo, we are going to challenge the misogyny, we are going to challenge the fact that our rights are being undermined in our communities."

One woman who says she was prevented from standing is optician Fozia Parveen from Birmingham.

She told the programme her efforts to stand to become a Labour councillor in Birmingham in 2007-8 were sabotaged by Muslim men in the local party.

She said: "At the time, I was aware of a smear campaign against me, they said that I was having an affair with one of the existing councillors. I was quite taken aback.

"People were turning up at my family home trying to intimidate my mum."  

She said the Muslim male party members said a woman would never be elected there.

Another woman who was selected to stand in Peterborough in 2007, Shazia Bashir, said she was pressurised to stand down because she "didn’t have [her] father’s consent and support".

One activist said she was told "Islam and feminism aren’t compatible" and a gay rights activist was told their campaigning was "un-Islamic" and should be "left to white people".

A Labour spokesman said: "The Labour Party's selection procedures include strong positive action procedures such as all-women shortlists and rules to ensure women are selected in winnable council seats.

"The Labour Party has a fair, democratic and robust procedure for selecting council candidates. Local Labour Party members select their local candidates within the party's rules and guidelines."



Fair?

We have all seen the effects of underhanded poor policies of Labour.
She would have more joy with Cameron than Corbyn, as Corbyn will just side with the misogynists.

So basically the Labour spokesman, has just brushed this under the carpet then. Never said they would investigate or look into, just some babble about them having a fair process., basically sticking two fingers up to her claim, which her claims, sounds far more credible.

They should very much so be now named Labour the champions of Inequality.

Nowt to do with any religion. 

And all to do with patriarchy within a sub-culture. 

Just as the male dominance in the Catholic Church has nowt do to with religion but a culture of male supremacy.

Fuzzy Zack wrote:Nowt to do with any religion. 

And all to do with patriarchy within a sub-culture. 

Just as the male dominance in the Catholic Church has nowt do to with religion but a culture of male supremacy.

Of course it has to do with religion, as the culture Muslims come from,  Pakistan, Bangladesh have female politicians, leaders.
So clearly then its a religious doctrine that is problematic here

Instead of waiting for moments like this to bump gums and show outrage at how women are treated by these idiots do something positive about it.


Contact Labour Party HQ and tell them how disgusting this is.


Contact Conservative Party HQ and tell them how disgusting this is.


Contact your local MP either by email or in person at their regular surgeries and ask them what they are doing about this.


Contact your local councillor and ask them what are doing to stop this.


Visit the MWNUK website and add your support to them – even make a small donation.
Take the opportunity on International Women’s day to add support to women’s rights wherever they are in the world.


I have done all of these things and if anyone on here has done just one of these things, some of them or all of them then I will believe you actually care enough about it.


Here are the letters to Cameron from MWNUK who has been leader of the Tory Party for around 10 years and Jeremy Corbyn who has been leader of the Labour Party for not even 1 year.


[url=http://www.mwnuk.co.uk/go_files/resources/169296-PM Letter %28Muslim Women Empowerment%29.pdf]http://www.mwnuk.co.uk//go_files/resources/169296-PM%20Letter%20%28Muslim%20Women%20Empowerment%29.pdf[/url]
 
[url=http://www.mwnuk.co.uk/go_files/resources/422693-Labour Party Complaint Letter.pdf]http://www.mwnuk.co.uk//go_files/resources/422693-Labour%20Party%20Complaint%20Letter.pdf[/url]


 
Regards
Sassy
Commie loving, feminist, leftie - allegedly

I see sassy is now having a go at her, even though as seen the Labour spokesperson, blatatntly brushed this under the carpet

Also

A leading women’s charity have written a letter to Jeremy Corbyn to complain about “systematic misogyny” which saw female Muslims being blocked from seeking office by male Labour councillors. 
Muslim Women’s Network UK (MWNUK) called on the Labour leader to investigate the “systematic misogyny displayed by significant numbers of Muslim male local councillors” during the selection process for new election candidates.

Complaints made after under-fire Lord Mayor elect also allegedly said forced marriages were no longer a problem.

Lord Mayor elect Muhammad Afzal faces a new political storm after allegedly telling a leading Muslim women’s group that men were more often domestic violence victims - and that forced marriages were no longer a problem.
The under-fire Central Mosque Chairman is said to have made the controversial comments at a meeting with Shaista Gohir, MBE, and her organisation, the Muslim Women’s Network UK.
The nationally-respected group had arranged a meeting at the mosque in December with trustees to discuss the possibility of holding a joint event to raise awareness about the often hidden problem of forced marriages.
But in a letter of complaint to the mosque, Ms Gohir claims they were left angered at the ‘dismissive’ attitude of Mr Afzal - who has been under huge political pressure after being caught on tape calling David Cameron an Islamophobe.
The group had met Mr Afzal and a number of other trustees at the meeting held at the mosque, a registered charity.
In her complaint letter, Ms Gohir said: “We provided examples of case studies from our helpline and explained that other women’s helplines across the country were regularly receiving calls on forced marriages and that a high percentage of these concerned Muslim women and girls, particularly from Pakistani background.
“Mr Afzal responded by saying forced marriage was no longer a problem.
“When we pointed out that UK Government Force Marriage Unit statistics indicated that significant numbers of victims were from the West Midlands, Mr Afzal responded that the government figures were exaggerated.
“We felt that Mr Afzal was dismissive as he went on to say that many marriages took place at the mosque, that the couples who got married were happy and that the mosque would know if forced marriages were taking place.
“We were made to feel that our claims about forced marriage being a problem were dishonest.”
Before leaving Ms Gohir and her colleague, who had taken notes, had asked the mosque trustees about another possible joint project to highlight domestic violence.
Ms Gohir wrote in her letter: “Mr Afzal responded by saying more men than women suffered domestic violence these days.
“We argued that although men did suffer from domestic violence, by far the larger number was made up of women.
“He then went on to state that ‘domestic violence was happening mainly in the Christian community because they get drunk’.
“I explained that the problem was also significant in Muslim communities and that women have been murdered as a result. However, Mr Afzal questioned why he had not heard about these murders in the media if they had taken place.
“We explained that cases had been reported in the media and that, in fact, there had been several murders in the West Midlands alone.
“By the end of the conversation it was clear that the trustees, and especially Mr Afzal, were not interested in women’s issues and had little, if any, intention of working with us on any women’s rights and issues.”

As well as making the complaint to the Central Mosque about Mr Afzal, the group is complaining to the Charities Commission pointing out the mosque has 39 male trustees - and not a single woman.
Ms Gohir said in her letter: “This emphasises the blatant nature of the discrimination against women. Are you suggesting that not a single woman had the skills, knowledge and ability to fill one of the trustee roles?”
The group is also making a complaint to the Labour Party about Mr Afzal.
Ms Gohir said: “Although he made his comments in his capacity as chair of the mosque, as a councillor of 30 years he should have been very aware of these issues.”
The long-serving Labour councillor is currently fighting for his political future.
We previously told how he had attended an anti-Prevent meeting last week where he labelled the Prime Minister an Islamophobe - a claim he denied but we published an audio tape confirming the comments.
Birmingham Council Leader John Clancy has asked the councillor to consider his position as Lord Mayor elect, a move which sources say has made his position ‘untenable’.


http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/muhammad-afzal-told-Muslim-womens-10803097





This is then followed by a response by the Chairman of the Mosque, who you just need to go to the Birmingham Central Mosque website, to know what was stated by Muhammad Afzal is as the Muslim ladies stated. As the contradictions made in the way overly extended statement they have made, with repetitive points throughout, also overly defensive, points far more to them being guilty here of the views they made to the Muslim ladies.

Here is the statement link.

http://www.centralmosque.org.uk/3/113/statement-from-birmingham-central-mosque

Where the only listed name of anything they gave as to what they do for women, was one lawyer, who brought them divorce work and also off the Amirah Foundation , which has not seen any activity since May 2015, where it sadly also has very little Muslim support. So clearly the claim that the Mosque and Mr Afzal as the Chairman, advance women's rights etc has ultimately failed and further proves how deceitful those running this Mosque are and that the Muslim ladies clearly have a case here of misogyny.

http://www.amirahfoundation.org/category/news/


So going back to the earlier point and how this Mosque is not afilliated to any islamic sect but accommodates all, is problematic

Talk about how also what is problematic again about Islam, when this is from their first page:

ISLAM is misunderstood in the WEST and misinterpreted in the EAST!                                                                                      
ISLAM is perfect, Muslims maybe not - Don't get confused!
Welcome To Our Website!
Birmingham Central Mosque is the second purpose built and one of the largest mosques in Western Europe,  which was built in 1969 and opened to the public in 1975. The most inspiring value of this mosque is its Multi-denomination position which means it does not belong to any one particular sect or school of thought but it represents all Muslims from any background. It is one of the most recognised religious buildings in the city of Birmingham and as a result, a vast number of people (Muslims and Non-Muslim) visit the mosque throughout the year.  



lol  that is a huge claim to make, that Islam is perfect after going off how Muslims are not perfect and it was Muslims that collated the works for islam. Where in the case of the hadiths, were not collated (so its claimed, as none exist from the time) until centuries after. Rendering the claim to islam's perfection flawed from the off. This as well does not even start to address the problems of the Quran. Now that is sheer arrogance for you. So not only does the claim to perfection fall apart based off a severe lack of documented evidence from the time, but this doctrine can never ever have a claim to ever coming close to being perfect. As if islam is perfect, the message would be crystal clear where all believers adhered to the same beliefs and works.. It would by claiming this also render the Quran redundant and incomplete. So if you devise a guide that is perfect, then a perfect guide would be something that nobody would ever deviate from. Which brings us back to the first flaw on how unreliable are the works to the time of Muhammad and how much was invented later. So not only is this arrogant to every other single belief, including secularism, claiming superiority, which is daft beyond belief. As its evident its no different to previous old  and unnecessary laws. The main emphasis placed in Islam is on fear and not love. Which denies converts to Islam willingly wanting to believe and not being instead as they are, led by fear. If love was the main emphasis of the message, then it would cease to have any need for revenge, eternal tortures, and making a view punishable by death. All 3 supersede love every time in Islam.

Jeremy Corbyn is expected to consider allegations made by a leading women’s charity that female Muslim Labour activists have been blocked from standing for local elections by Muslim male councillors. The Muslim Women’s Network UK (MWNUK) accused the national Labour party of turning “a blind eye” to the “systematic misogyny” of Muslim Labour councillors during selection processes in certain towns and cities across the UK. In a letter to Mr Corbyn, MWNUK’s chairwoman Shaista Gohir said the party had allowed local Muslim councillors to operate a “patriarchal biradari system” where men could intimidate or slander women considering running for local office. One alleged victim, Fozia Paveen, told Newsnight that male councillors had operated a “smear campaign” against her when she attempted to stand as a councillor in Birmingham in 2007-8, and had threatened her mother. Another said she was told to withdraw her candidacy for a council seat in Peterborough because she did not have her father’s permission or support. The claims were supported by Labour MP Gavin Shuker, who said he had raised concerns about the bullying of female Muslim party members in his constituency party within the last three years. The party was accused of having a weak response to the allegations on Saturday but a Labour source told the Guardian Mr Corbyn would now look at the letter and respond in due course.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/jeremy-corbyn-to-review-allegations-of-systematic-misogyny-against-female-Muslim-council-candidates-a6860166.html


Interesting to see if anything comes from this

Didge wrote:

Fuzzy Zack wrote:Nowt to do with any religion. 

And all to do with patriarchy within a sub-culture. 

Just as the male dominance in the Catholic Church has nowt do to with religion but a culture of male supremacy.

Of course it has to do with religion, as the culture Muslims come from,  Pakistan, Bangladesh have female politicians, leaders.
So clearly then its a religious doctrine that is problematic here

No, the problem is patriarchal abuse. Men taking advantage of women. 

If it was religious, then those countries wouldn't have female politicians. 

Why is Saudi starting to accept female politicians, if there is religious doctrine that disqualifies women from running? Becuase it's cultural.

Fuzzy Zack wrote:

Didge wrote:


Of course it has to do with religion, as the culture Muslims come from,  Pakistan, Bangladesh have female politicians, leaders.
So clearly then its a religious doctrine that is problematic here

No, the problem is patriarchal abuse. Men taking advantage of women. 

If it was religious, then those countries wouldn't have female politicians. 

Why is Saudi starting to accept female politicians, if there is religious doctrine that disqualifies women from running? Becuase it's cultural.

Point 1) Again that stems from religion

Point 2) Ye they would, as this Islamic doctrine which is hardline, is followed by some and not all.

Point 3) World pressure

It takes a belief system to argue that women are of a lesser nature to men, by creating them second to men. Hence if you mean culture formed fundamentally from that religion, then you would fail to add how it is the religious aspsect that way this prejudice view on women, that influence that country's culture

sassy wrote:Instead of waiting for moments like this to bump gums and show outrage at how women are treated by these idiots do something positive about it.


Contact Labour Party HQ and tell them how disgusting this is.


Contact Conservative Party HQ and tell them how disgusting this is.


Contact your local MP either by email or in person at their regular surgeries and ask them what they are doing about this.


Contact your local councillor and ask them what are doing to stop this.


Visit the MWNUK website and add your support to them – even make a small donation.
Take the opportunity on International Women’s day to add support to women’s rights wherever they are in the world.


I have done all of these things and if anyone on here has done just one of these things, some of them or all of them then I will believe you actually care enough about it.


Here are the letters to Cameron from MWNUK who has been leader of the Tory Party for around 10 years and Jeremy Corbyn who has been leader of the Labour Party for not even 1 year.


[url=http://www.mwnuk.co.uk/go_files/resources/169296-PM Letter %28Muslim Women Empowerment%29.pdf]http://www.mwnuk.co.uk//go_files/resources/169296-PM%20Letter%20%28Muslim%20Women%20Empowerment%29.pdf[/url]
 
[url=http://www.mwnuk.co.uk/go_files/resources/422693-Labour Party Complaint Letter.pdf]http://www.mwnuk.co.uk//go_files/resources/422693-Labour%20Party%20Complaint%20Letter.pdf[/url]


 
Regards
Sassy
Commie loving, feminist, leftie - allegedly

Following on from what Shaista Gohir has done that is good advice to anyone who cares enough. Never take no for an answer and demand action until something is done. I have to admit to doing only one thing but I'll speak to my councilllor who is also my best pal from when we were toddlers..

Doing my bit.