Prime Minister Theresa May
London, 29 Rajab 1438/26 April 2017 MINA) – Prime Minister Theresa May has been accused of ignoring Muslim voters in the General Election by scheduling it during Ramadan, pressandjournal.co.uk reported.
Muslim politicians from Labour and the Scottish National Party fear reduced voter turnout among Muslims on June 8, which falls during the holy month where fasting from dawn to sunset takes place.
Labourâs Yasmin Qureshi, MP for Bolton South East, said: âIt is unfortunate that Theresa May has scheduled the election to take place during the holy month of Ramadan.
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âI know this will present challenges to Muslim voters and those who wish to campaign. At best I can only suggest that this did not even feature in her thinking, which is disappointing.â
She added: âIt may be that the election falling during Ramadan reduces turnout among Muslims.â
Pros and cons
And Rushanara Ali, Labour MP for Bethnal Green and Bow, said: âThe fact that the general election will fall in the middle of Ramadan is not ideal.
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âHolding an election during Ramadan means there could be a disproportionate effect on voter turnout in those constituencies with a sizeable Muslim population.
âIf anyone thinks that their ability to go and vote will be affected, I urge them to register for a postal vote.â
SNP MSP Humza Yousaf, the Scottish Government Minister for Transport and the Islands, also voiced fears that fewer Muslims will vote, adding that âyou can never really hold an election at a perfect timeâ.
âI think it would be fair to say that a lot of people in the Muslim community feel that they were certainly not even factored at all into the conversation or the thinking because it will have an impact, I suspect, on turnout,â he said.
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However, the Muslim Council of Britain said it could see âno reasonâ why holding the election during Ramadan â which this year is expected to be from around May 27 to June 24 â should have any impact on Muslims turning up to vote.
The group added: âThere is probably more âvoter fatigueâ generally across the country following the extensive recent campaigns in the lead-up to the 2015 general election and the 2016 EU Referendum.
âMuslims fasting during Ramadan will go about their normal daily activities and taking time out to cast a vote will have no impact on their choice to do so.â
Sayed Yousif Al-Khoei OBE, chairman of the Al-Khoei Foundation, a Shiâa Muslim organisation, said: âIn general, Ramadan and fasting is not supposed to impede normal life. Itâs supposed to be a spiritual experience.
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âBut for some people, you know, the combination of the hot weather⊠and lack of foods could be an impediment.
âBut the spiritual uplifting of fasting should really make a Muslim more resilient and that should not really be a pretext for not voting, and I encourage everyone to use their right to vote.â (T/RS5/RS1)
Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)
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