‘ Muslims in Britain: Our Political Future’
One-day Conference.
Dr MOZAMMEL HAQUE
I was invited to attend a largest
Muslim Political conference in nearly a decade, organised by a team at LMN, on
Saturday 6th of December 2025 at Westminster London, to look to the
collective future, network and to celebrate the amazing work of the British Muslims
taking place around the country.
The conference started with a keynote
speech by Lucy Powell, M.P. Fighting the Rise of Far Right in Britain.
KEYNOTE: Lucy Powell MP :
Fighting The Rise of the Far Right in
Britain
Speakers:
Dawn Butler MP, John Mcdonnell MP, Rosena Allin-Khan MP, Alba Kapoor (Amnesty
International), Hanif Khan (Labour Asian Society).
After Lunch
After the lunch, there were two
panels.
The Panel 1 was on
Islamophobia is the New Normal: in the Mainstream Media, in Our
Parliament and in Our Streets.
Speakers:
There were following
speakers: Afzal Khan MP, Miqdaad Versi (MCB), Rizwana Hamid (CfMM), Stephen
Timms MP, Dr Zubir Ahmed MP.
PANEL 2
was on
The Real Power Is Local: How Local Government
Can Change Lives,
Speakers
There were following
speakers: Mete Coban MBE (Deputy Mayor of London), Cllr Peray Ahmet, Cllr Saima
Ashraf, Cllr Aydin Dikerdem, Cllr Nabeela Mowlana, Cllr Muhammad Butt.
International Panel
was on:
Palestine,
Sudan, Kashmir and Beyond,
Speakers
There were following
speakers: Richard Burgon MP, Shazia Arshad (Islamic Relief), Fadi Itani OBE
(Muslim Charities Forum), Mutahir Ahmed (ICJP), Dr Riyadh Al Masharqa (Doctor
from Gaza)
Keynote Speech: How Zohran Mamdani Won and How
Progressiveness Can Win.
After Dinner there was Award
Ceremony.
‘ Muslims in Britain: Our Political Future’
One-day Conference.
The conference started with a keynote
speech by Lucy Powell, M.P.
On: Fighting the Rise of Far Right in Britain.
After the lunch, there were two panels.
The Panel 1 was on
Islamophobia is the New Normal: in the Mainstream Media, in Our
Parliament
and in Our Streets.
There were following speakers: Afzal
Khan, M.P.; Miqdaad Versi (MCB); Stephen Timms, M.P. and others.
Opening remarks
By Afzal Khan, M.P.
In this panel Afzal khan gave an
opening remarks.
He started by saying: “ Hello, Salaam
and welcome everyone. I’m Afzal Khan, MP for Manchester Rusholme.
Afzal Khan continued, “It is such a
privilege to be here today, with so many Muslims and allies from within the
Labour movement, all committed to tackling racism and making Britain – and the
Labour Party – a place where Muslims are made to feel welcome.”
“Today’s discussion is particularly important, and I am not sure we have ever needed to come together more to recognise the sheer scale of Islamophobia in the UK, and to discuss what we can do to begin to tackle this,” said parliamentarian Afzal Khan.
On Islamophobia in Britain
Speaking about Islamophobia, Afzal
Khan, M. P., said, “Islamophobia in Britain may not look like Muslims in
concentration camps, like the Uyghurs in China, or 51 worshippers being killed
at mosques, like we saw in New Zealand, but it remains sinister and dangerous.”
Afzal Khan, Member of British Parliament,
continued, “The images and stories of far-right thugs rioting on our streets,
mosques being vandalised and Muslims being attacked has reminded us of the
devastating impact of Islamophobia in all its forms – whether overt or
systemic, physical or psychological.”
He mentioned, “And there’s no doubt
that this overt xenophobia we see are a result of racists feeling emboldened by
politicians like Boris Johnson and Nigel Farage, and media outlets like the
Daily Mail and GB News regularly spewing hate about Muslims.”
Afzal Khan, British Parliamentarian
also mentioned, “For Muslim communities across the UK, these acts of violence
and hatred are not isolated incidents, but part of a broader, deeply entrenched
pattern of racism.”
He also said, “Islamophobia filters
through every aspect of a Muslim’s life.”
“Muslims are more likely to live in
poverty,” parliamentarian Afzal Khan said and added, “On average, we have to
submit 80% more job applications to get a positive response from an employer
than a white British person.”
Afzal khan mentioned, “And people
named Mohammad are even charged more for their car insurance than people named
John.”
“He still lost. The North West sent
him a very clear message that we don’t tolerate his kind of hate. We never have
and we never will,” Afzal khan said and added, “But it is difficult to
demonstrate the scale and systemic nature of Islamophobia in Britain, without a
definition.”
Talking about the need for a
definition of Islamophobia in order to tackle a problem, you must be able to
define it.
British Parliamentarian Afzal Khan
said, “And it is getting a definition of Islamophobia, adopted by government
and supported by Muslim communities, which is our next big hurdle to overcome.”
He mentioned, “In 2019, the All-Party
Parliamentary Group on British Muslims, which I’m part of, proposed a
definition of Islamophobia that has since become the leading reference point in
the UK today.”
He continued, “Through extensive
community and expert consultation, we defined Islamophobia as being rooted in
racism and being a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or
perceived Muslimness.”
Afzal Khan said, “You will notice we
used the word Muslim, not Islam. It is not and will never be about stopping
people from criticising Islam – freedom of speech protects that right.”
Parliamentarian Afzal Khan mentioned,
“When Labour came into government, I was disappointed that they did not adopt
this definition as a government. The party had already adopted this definition
internally, we have Labour councils and mayors across the country who adopted
this definition years ago.”
Speaking about what the Labour
Government is doing, Afzal Khan said, “The Government has set up an
Islamophobia working group – made up of a number of experts in this space – to
develop a draft definition that they will then put out to consultation.
Afzal Khan continued, “It's vital
that any definition proposed captures the systemic, deep-rooted nature of the
hatred Muslims face, that is recognises that it is a type of racism, and is
supported by British Muslim communities.”
Afzal Khan emphasised, “It is up to
each and everyone of us within the Labour movement to keep up the fight and to
keep lobbying the Government to deliver this as a matter of priority.”
After the Dinner
There was Award Ceremony
Lifetime Achievement Award
After dinner, there was award
ceremony. Mr Afzal Khan, M. P. was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award
at the conference.
While accepting the Lifetime Achievement Award, British Parliamentarian, Afzal Khan, gave the following accepting speech:
Acceptance Speech of the Lifetime Achievement Award
By Rt.Hon. Afzal Khan, M.P.
Following is the Acceptance speech in Full
British Parliamentarian Afzal Khan
Started by saying:
“Let me begin by saying what a privilege it is to be here to be joined by you all – dedicated Labour members, activists and allies – all here for a common purpose: to improve Muslim representation in politics and policymaking.
“It is such an honour to just be nominated for this award, and I know I had some very good competition.
“When I think about my journey into politics, faith has always played a key part. There are two pieces of hadith which have always stuck with me and inspired me greatly.
Afzal khan continued: “The first hadith by the Prophet (pbuh) teaches us: "Best among you are those who bring benefit to others”,
“And the second, “A person whose two days are the same, is in a state of loss.”
Afzal Khan mentioned, “These powerful words have had a real impact on my life and career choices. I decided that I needed to serve my community and no two days for me must be the same!
He said, “Being a Muslim in Britain is not easy. Being a Muslim in politics – as many of you know – has its own unique challenges.
He added, “From being targeted by the press for speaking about issues impacting Muslims to being brandished a traitor and getting death threats on social media, there are so many challenges but I know I’m not alone in facing these.
Afzal Khan mentioned, “I will never let this stop me from being unapologetically Muslim - something else I am not alone in. We must all be ourselves and the walks of life we come from.
“I also won’t stop campaigning for the rights of British Muslims – the right to not face structural racism, the right to not be abused in the street, and the right to have the hatred we face be recognised by our government,” he said.
Afzal Khan, M. P. Continued: “We have come a long way as a Muslim movement within the Labour Party, and now especially that we have a Labour government, we must use this time to push for better representation and for policies that work for us and not against us.”
Afzal Khan said, “I hope you will all join me in committing to redouble our efforts to achieve this.”
While concluding his acceptance speech, British Parliamentarian Afzal Khan said, “Once again, thank you for the honour of this award.”
