“Last week a little piece of history was made in Sparkbrook as I was elected to serve as Respect’s first Birmingham city councillor. For Respect, it was an important breakthrough. But it was significant too that I became the only female Muslim councillor in the city. This was a small step to the left in a city where too many people turned to the far right. Not for Nick Cohen, who sees only ‘…a slice of the electorate in a poor part of Britain that is so lost in identity politics and victimhood that it will vote for those who stoke their rage, no matter how worthless they are.’ This bigoted perception of Muslims has nothing in common with the realities of our lives or our struggles.”

Comment is Free, 13 May 2006