LONDON: The youngest Muslim MP ever elected in the UK has become the biggest parliamentary target of online hate after speaking out on Palestinian rights in the wake of the Gaza war, Sky News reported on Wednesday.
Zarah Sultana, 30, was first elected MP for Coventry South in the 2019 general election. Born to a Pakistani Muslim family in Birmingham, the Labour MP has a large online following on social media, which she described as a “crucial part of the job.”
But Sultana’s activity and commentary in the wake of Israel’s invasion of Gaza has seen her become a target of online abuse.
According to parliamentary records for this year, she has become the “most at-risk MP online.”
Amid growing concerns over the safety of elected officials in the UK, and following the killings of two MPs in the span of a decade, Sultana now follows strict security measures.
The MP “logs the date, location and time” of every event she attends in order to notify parliamentary security teams about potential dangers.
But Sultana told Sky News that online hate has posed the biggest concern since late last year, when she “started talking about Palestinian rights.”
On a daily basis, she receives messages calling for her deportation and telling her to “go home to Pakistan.”
One message seen by Sky News said: “Send that b***h to Palestine they are low on targets.”
Sultana said she avoids public transport due to the threats, and is always accompanied by aides or security on any public visit.
Door-knocking also poses risks, with Sultana saying there have been conversations “where she’s not been completely sure she was on solid ground in terms of her safety.”
Parliamentary authorities say greater measures are being taken to protect the safety of MPs. Security Minister Tom Tugendhat has said MPs at greater risk of violence are entitled to increased safety measures, including private cars that have been given to some female MPs.
A spokesperson for the House of Commons said: “The ability for members and their staff to perform their parliamentary duties safely both on and off the estate is fundamental to our democracy.
“Within the Parliamentary Security Department, a dedicated Members’ Security Support Service provides personal security advice to members and their staff — highlighting the physical, personal and online security measures and guidance available to them.
“These security measures are available to all MPs across the UK and members receive regular updates on security matters both on and off the estate.”
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UK’s youngest Muslim MP biggest target of online hate: Parliamentary records
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UK’s youngest Muslim MP biggest target of online hate: Parliamentary records
- Zarah Sultana, 30, receives online abuse daily after ‘talking about Palestinian rights’
- She receives messages calling for her deportation, telling her to ‘go home to Pakistan’
Terror at Friday prayers: Witnesses describe blast rocking Islamabad mosque
- The Daesh group has claimed responsibility for the attack, according to the SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors jihadist communications
ISLAMABAD: A worshipper at the Shiite mosque in Islamabad where dozens of people were killed in a suicide blast on Friday described an “extremely powerful” explosion ripping through the building just after prayers started.
Muhammad Kazim, 52, told AFP he arrived at the Imam Bargah Qasr-e-Khadijatul Kubra mosque shortly after 1:00 p.m. (0800 GMT) on Friday and took up a place around seven or eight rows from the Imam.
“During the first bow of the Namaz (prayer ritual), we heard gunfire,” he told AFP outside the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) hospital, where many of the wounded were brought for treatment.
“And while we were still in the bowing position, an explosion occurred,” he said.
Kazim, who is from Gilgit-Baltistan in northern Pakistan and lives in Islamabad, escaped unharmed, but accompanied his wounded friend to the PIMS hospital for treatment.
“It was unclear whether it was a suicide bombing, but the explosion was extremely powerful and caused numerous casualties,” Kazim said.
“Debris fell from the roof, and windows were shattered,” he added. “When I got outside, many bodies were scattered... Many people lost their lives.”
The Daesh group has claimed responsibility for the attack, according to the SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors jihadist communications.
Another worshipper, Imran Mahmood, described a gunfight between the suicide bomber, a possible accomplice and volunteer security personnel at the mosque.
“The suicide attacker was trying to move forward, but one of our injured volunteers fired at him from behind, hitting him in the thigh,” Mahmood, in his fifties, told AFP.
“He fell but got up again. Another man accompanying him opened fire on our volunteers,” he said, adding the attacker “then jumped onto the gate and detonated the explosives.”
As of Saturday morning, the death toll stood at 31, with at least 169 wounded.
The attack was the deadliest in the Pakistani capital since September 2008, when 60 people were killed in a suicide truck bomb blast that destroyed part of the five-star Marriott hotel.
Lax security
Describing the aftermath of the attack, Kazim said unhurt worshippers went to the aid of those wounded.
“People tried to help on their own, carrying two or three bodies in the trunks of their vehicles, while ambulances arrived about 20 to 25 minutes later,” he told AFP.
“No one was allowed near the mosque afterwards.”
Kazim, who has performed Friday prayers at the mosque “for the past three to four weeks,” said security had been lax.
“I have never seen proper security in place,” he told AFP.
“Volunteers manage security on their own, but they lack the necessary equipment to do it effectively,” he said.
“Shiite mosques are always under threat, and the government should take this seriously and provide adequate security,” he added.
Muhammad Kazim, 52, told AFP he arrived at the Imam Bargah Qasr-e-Khadijatul Kubra mosque shortly after 1:00 p.m. (0800 GMT) on Friday and took up a place around seven or eight rows from the Imam.
“During the first bow of the Namaz (prayer ritual), we heard gunfire,” he told AFP outside the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) hospital, where many of the wounded were brought for treatment.
“And while we were still in the bowing position, an explosion occurred,” he said.
Kazim, who is from Gilgit-Baltistan in northern Pakistan and lives in Islamabad, escaped unharmed, but accompanied his wounded friend to the PIMS hospital for treatment.
“It was unclear whether it was a suicide bombing, but the explosion was extremely powerful and caused numerous casualties,” Kazim said.
“Debris fell from the roof, and windows were shattered,” he added. “When I got outside, many bodies were scattered... Many people lost their lives.”
The Daesh group has claimed responsibility for the attack, according to the SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors jihadist communications.
Another worshipper, Imran Mahmood, described a gunfight between the suicide bomber, a possible accomplice and volunteer security personnel at the mosque.
“The suicide attacker was trying to move forward, but one of our injured volunteers fired at him from behind, hitting him in the thigh,” Mahmood, in his fifties, told AFP.
“He fell but got up again. Another man accompanying him opened fire on our volunteers,” he said, adding the attacker “then jumped onto the gate and detonated the explosives.”
As of Saturday morning, the death toll stood at 31, with at least 169 wounded.
The attack was the deadliest in the Pakistani capital since September 2008, when 60 people were killed in a suicide truck bomb blast that destroyed part of the five-star Marriott hotel.
Lax security
Describing the aftermath of the attack, Kazim said unhurt worshippers went to the aid of those wounded.
“People tried to help on their own, carrying two or three bodies in the trunks of their vehicles, while ambulances arrived about 20 to 25 minutes later,” he told AFP.
“No one was allowed near the mosque afterwards.”
Kazim, who has performed Friday prayers at the mosque “for the past three to four weeks,” said security had been lax.
“I have never seen proper security in place,” he told AFP.
“Volunteers manage security on their own, but they lack the necessary equipment to do it effectively,” he said.
“Shiite mosques are always under threat, and the government should take this seriously and provide adequate security,” he added.
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