Volunteers for an organisation calling for Muslims to vote against MPs who did not back a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas conflict have shared controversial messages in an official group chat, GB News can reveal.
Activists for The Muslim Vote group shared messages that included claims that the Labour Party’s leadership is “getting paid by their Zionist leaders.”
Elsewhere, another volunteer said that Muslims who support Labour or the Tories should face “Takfir” - an Arabic term for excommunication - until they “repent” and “enact concrete steps for Palestine as compensation.”
The messages were exchanged on a Telegram channel called “Operation Muslim Vote Volunteers,” with over 800 members.
Muslim Vote activists claimed that Labour leaders are 'paid by zionists'
GB News
The group’s description says “Asalaam alaikum, this channel is for sharing latest updates when it comes to the Muslim Vote initiative.”
The statements have attracted the concern of a leading British antisemitism organisation, which said the rhetoric “crosses the line,” urging the Muslim Vote group to disavow it.
A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “Political participation is vital in any thriving democracy, and minority communities have every right to come together to make their voices heard.
“But when this evolves into sectarianism, it has gone too far.
“If communities come to define themselves and their needs in conflict with one another, and begin turning to fringe or extremist politicians or parties, our society is in deep trouble.
“Clearly, some of the rhetoric in these messages crosses the line, and the group must disavow it and show what urgent remedial steps it is going to take.”
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Muslim Vote activists called for 'takfir' a term referring to the practice of one Muslim declaring another Muslim an infidel.
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On its website, The Muslim Vote group says it is working with “local civic society organisations” in each “Muslim-dense seat” to understand which candidate to endorse in the upcoming general election.
An activist who joined the group said they were stunned to discover racist messages in the group’s campaigning.
“When I joined the Muslim Vote group's channels, I was shocked and deeply upset to find rampant antisemitism being not only tolerated but also used as a central theme in their campaigns and engagement,” said the group member, on condition of anonymity.
They added: “They claim to want what's 'best for Britain' and position themself as a peace-led organisation, but this hatred goes completely unchallenged, which is incredibly disturbing.”
The Muslim Vote group did not respond to a request for comment at the time of writing.
The Labour Party declined to comment.