"British" Muslims and "tolerance"
The Labour Party has become embroiled in a race row after a
prospective female councillor was allegedly told she was 'too white and
Jewish' to be selected.
Elaina Cohen claims that Labour
councillor Mahmood Hussain said he would not support her application
for an inner-city ward because 'my Muslim members don't want you
because you are Jewish'.
Mrs Cohen, 50, has made an
official complaint about the alleged remarks made by Mr Hussain, a
Muslim and former lord mayor of Birmingham.
She said: 'I am
shocked and upset that a member of the Labour Party in this day and age
could even think something like that, let alone say it.
'People should not be allowed to make racist comments like that. If
someone in the party feels I cannot represent them because of my colour
or religion, that's ridiculous.
'I felt particularly
aggrieved because I have worked across all sections of the community,
particularly with the Muslim section, and have been on official visits
to Pakistan.'
Mrs Cohen had applied to stand as a Labour
councillor for the Birmingham ward of East Handsworth and Lozells,
which has a high Asian and Afro-Caribbean population.
As
one of Labour's safest seats on Tory-led Birmingham city council, the
final candidate would be almost certain of victory at the June 4
by-election.
But when Mrs Cohen telephoned 57-year-old Mr
Hussain for his support, she was astonished to be told that she was too
'white and Jewish' to be considered.
Lorraine Briscoe, who
runs a local community association, was sitting next to Mrs Cohen when
the conversation took place on speakerphone last Tuesday.
'I was disgusted that a councillor could make comments like that in 2009,' she said.
'He
told her, "They will not vote for someone who is white and Jewish. My
Muslim members don't want you because you are Jewish".
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