Tomorrow, millions of us go to the polls to deliver a verdict either for change or for more of the same. Yet many will try to reflect on the benefits that they have had over the last 13 years through this Labour Government; some will know that there will be tough times ahead; some will Read More
The defection, two days ago, of senior Cabinet member Cllr Brian Haley to the Liberal Democrats spells disaster for the future of Labour in Haringey. And Rightly so! Labour has been in power for nearly 40 years but has failed to address problems with deprivation, poverty and failing services. Residents in Haringey now have to Read More
Having worked on supporting better Jewish and Muslim relations for the last 7 years, I can honestly say that I have felt despair over the last week. Once again the Al Aqsa and the Dome of the Rock mosque compounds in Jerusalem have been drawn into the politics of those who want to make it Read More
In 1858, the last great Mughal ruler of India was violently sent into exile into Burma where he eventually died in exile in 1862. A liberal, cultured and deeply cohesive community in Delhi which was nurtured by Bahadur Shah Zafar, (the last Mughal of the line of the Timur (Tamerlaine) line which had been in Read More
So many blogs, articles and ‘specialist’ pieces make the case that Jews and Muslims are increasingly becoming suspicious and fearful of each other. Polar stories make out that both communities just see each other through the prism and lens of the Middle East and when Gaza’s and Jenin’s take place, both communities increasingly caricature each Read More
IRAN ATTACK IS ON THE HORIZON The issue of Iran’s nuclear programme has been raging as a political debate for the last 3 years. There have been moments when it looked like Israel might launch a strike though the United States has been the alternative vehicle through which diplomacy has been used as a carrot Read More
I recently visited Turkey on a fact finding visitwith my colleague, Cllr John Oakes. The visit took in civil society organisations, key AK Party members, Members of Parliament within Turkey, newspapers like Zamaan and religious leaders who are creating and shaping the landscape of Turkey. What I have found is a country of such vibrancy Read More
Last week, I had the pleasure of bringing new members to the Liberal Democrats, all three of whom who would add value to their local Liberal Democrat associations and to the Party as a whole. Mike Penrose (an international development consultant), Rabbi Deborah Kahn Harris and Dilek Aygun (a Haringey Turkish community activist – pictured), Read More
Running up to the next election, Labour are going to lay a number of charges against us, some of which will attempt to paint our Party as being ‘soft’ on issues of safety and security. They have consistently tried to push this and at the forefront of their strategy will be the charge that our Read More
Today, I had the pleasure of speaking at the IMAAN (www.imaan.org.uk) annual conference in Euston. Imaan is a group that focuses on informing and campaigning on issues affecting gay and lesbian practising Muslims and I was invited on the basis of my interfaith work and as an elected politician who happens to be Muslim. I Read More