Sectarianism is playing a growing role in Western elections. In the UK, several ‘pro-Gaza’ independents were elected in former Labour seats in this month’s General Election. All of them were supported by an organisation called The Muslim Vote (TMV), and all stood as essentially single-issue candidates. Many others supported by TMV, such as Akhmed Yakoob in Birmingham Ladywood, reeled in huge support and came close to unseating prominent Labour MPs. These races were tainted by intimidation and harassment-heavy campaigning, largely directed at Labour candidates accused of being insufficiently critical of Israel.
