A small but telling example of how Islamist ideals are beginning to influence British politics can be found in the political history of Small Heath, a city ward in central Birmingham. According to the 2021 census, 85.9 percent of its population identify as Muslim. Traditional British attire is rare in this locality. Instead, men wearing Islamic clothing and caps, and women in burqas, dominate the street scene.
The landscape of Small Heath reflects its transformation. Lampposts and shop signs are draped with flags of Pakistan and Palestine, alongside verses from the Quran. Advertisements in the area align closely with Islamic values and norms. Small Heath offers a glimpse into a changing Britain, both in demographics and political orientation.
In the 20th century, Birmingham was a key centre of the British manufacturing industry. During that time, Small Heath’s population was predominantly Irish. One of the major employers, the Birmingham Small Arms Company, provided jobs for thousands. When the company shut down in 1973, many local houses were vacated, driving property prices down and opening the area to a new wave of immigration, primarily from South Asia. By 1991, Muslims formed 60 percent of Small Heath’s population. With their growing numbers, political currents in the ward began shifting towards global Islamic issues.
Ahmed Yaqoob, a Pak origin local political figure, who grew up in Small Heath, exemplifies this shift. Rising from obscurity, he leveraged social media, particularly TikTok to amplify his voice, focusing heavily on the conflict in Gaza. His messages resonated deeply with the Muslim electorate, eventually helping him secure third place in the 4 May 2024 mayoral election, earning 70,000 votes. This momentum encouraged Yaqoob to contest the general election two months later.
He stood as a candidate in the Birmingham Ladywood constituency, going head-to-head against sitting Labour MP Shabana Mahmood. While he did not win, Yaqoob managed to garner 33.2 per cent of the vote by turning the Gaza issue into a central campaign theme. His strong showing echoed a broader trend: several independent candidates, campaigning on similar lines, performed well across the country.
Among them was Ayub Khan, a former Liberal Democrat who resigned from the party to stand independently. He contested the Perry Barr constituency, adjacent to Ladywood, and campaigned jointly with Yaqoob. Their shared slogan“Every vote is a vote for Gaza” galvanised local support. Ayub Khan narrowly defeated the sitting Labour MP by 507 votes.
His subsequent actions illustrate the growing regional and international entanglements of this political movement. Ayub Khan recently joined a group of MPs who wrote to the Prime Minister of Pakistan, requesting the construction of an airport in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. This act suggests that the implications of this emerging political trend are not confined to any one constituency, but may have transnational ramifications.
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