British Muslims Urged to Register to Vote Before Monday’s Deadline

The Muslim Council of Britain is asking Imams and mosques throughout the UK to use this week’s Friday sermon (Khutbah) to emphasise the need for British Muslims to register to vote. With the approaching deadline of Monday 13th March for voter registration in respect of the English local elections due to be held on Thursday May 4th 2006, the need to register is urgent.

`The Elections Minister, Harriet Harman, recently revealed that in London alone over 60,000 Muslims (18% of the total Muslim population in London) were not registered to vote. This is clearly unacceptable. British Muslims are greatly underrepresented in politics at both the local and national level, and it is vital that we address and rectify this situation. Imams, mosques and Muslim organisations across the country should help make voter registration forms available to British Muslims,’ said Sir Iqbal Sacranie, Secretary-General of the Muslim Council of Britain.

The Muslim Council of Britain has also informed its affiliate organisations to draw urgent attention to the upcoming deadline.

The MCB notes that some far right extremist groups are seeking to exploit the traditional low turnout at local elections to make inroads on May 4 and have provocatively described the elections as a ‘Referendum Day on Islam’. The MCB urges all people of goodwill to vote in the May 4th elections to ensure that fascist groups are comprehensively defeated at the ballot box.

[ENDS]

Notes to Editors:
1. Voter registration forms can be downloaded from https://aboutmyvote.co.uk/
2. The website for the Electoral Commission is https://www.electoralcommission.gov.uk/