This has been the first election in which I have actively campaigned to support a candidate to gain election to the House of Commons. It provided me with an insight into the kind of democracy in which we live and how we as Muslim communities relate to it.

The first and striking feature is the fact that some of the candidates chosen from the Muslim communities were not necessarily chosen on the basis of merit but rather on the potential level of support that they could leverage. The fault here lies with the political parties themselves. The net result of this ‘clan based’ politics is that the growth and political awareness of the community is halted, it prevents candidates from actually engaging in debate around issues that are important to Bradford for example a continually waning town centre, lack of jobs, the hole in the city, educational attainment and issues around equality. This lack of debate not only disempowers voters in say Heaton, Manningham, Thornbury etc. but it also disempowers political parties, the political process, the wider community and has the potential of increasing the alienation of Muslim communities.

Furthermore, ‘clan politics’ disenfranchises Muslim women from the political process. On the one hand there are calls for integration and involvement of women but critically on the other hand they are excluded when a husband stands next to his wife in a voting booth and tells her which way to vote. The act of voting is a personal affair and it links to or should link to one’s deeply held values. How can this happen when clan-based and misogynist politics is involved?

With respect to ‘merit’ this is not just the ability to gain power, sustain and manipulate it in the Machiavellian sense but rather it is about values. We need candidates who are selfless ‘leaders’ who are there to help Bradford grapple with issues of community cohesion, extremism, nationalism and powerlessness. Council members are there to represent their constituencies however they must do this within the context of the needs of the whole district and all communities, Muslim or otherwise.

One of the travesties of this election has been councillors and prospective members of parliament using exclusionary and xenophobic electioneering tactics. Many have witnessed prospective parliamentary candidates and or their supporters extolling the religious or ethnic affiliation of the candidates. At the same time people are warned about the lack of faith or religious values of other candidates. This shows a shallow understanding of Islam and faith. Bradford is best served by candidates that are hard working, who understand the complexities of life and the diversity of Bradford, who are willing to engage with people of difference, to answer questions posed by the electorate and are accountable.

This is best illustrated to me when I compared how one of the candidates elected for the first time to parliament stated ‘now the work begins’ and another who was elected to the council who decided to celebrate with fireworks at the news of the successful result. What this demonstrates to me is the immaturity of some of our elected Muslim members and their jubilant supporters and reflects the view of gaining and holding power as a sign of prestige. Responsibility and power from the Islamic sense is about ‘trust’ and how one meets one’s obligations through integrity and honesty. By engaging in clan or faith based politics we call into question our ability to faithfully fulfil this trust for the benefit of all the citizens of Bradford.