More than fifty prominent figures from the Arab community in Britain have signed an appeal to people of conscience to support the Arab Voice” and “The Muslim Vote” campaigns in the coming general election scheduled for 4 July. The signatories have called on the British Arab and Muslim communities, including activists and human rights supporters, to sign the appeal as well.
They call for cooperation and united efforts to form an influential voice in the election through a series of coordinated actions.
The importance of electing and supporting candidates endorsed by the Arab Voice in coordination with The Muslim Vote campaigns to ensure effective and impactful representation was stressed. Voters can find the names of the candidates endorsed by both campaigns according to constituency through the following link.
Candidates have been endorsed on precise criteria that align with the goals of both campaigns. All other candidates who are not endorsed by the campaigns, but are standing on similar pledges, are urged to withdraw immediately in favour of the endorsed candidates, to avoid splitting the vote and thus paving the way for an easy win for the incumbents or candidates from the major parties.
All voters are encouraged to support and promote the electoral campaigns of endorsed candidates, while also urging friends and colleagues in the respective constituency to do likewise. The signatories emphasised the importance of exercising the right to vote, either in person, by proxy or by post. Not exercising that right, they pointed out, indirectly supports the worst possible candidates.
The appeal noted that prioritising the end of Israel’s genocide of the Palestinians in Gaza does not necessarily mean neglecting local issues. International and local issues alike have been duly considered before endorsing any candidate to ensure a reasonable balance.
The signatories of the appeal include well-known figures such as Anas Altikriti, the CEO and Founder of the Cordoba Foundation; Mohammed Kozbar, the Deputy Secretary-General of the Muslim Council of Britain; Zaher Birawi, President of the Palestinian Forum in Britain; Adnan Hmidan – Head of the Arab Voice Campaign and Mohammed Al-Tawil, consultant in Clinical Psychology.
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