The Muslim Vote: Democratic threat or Islamophobic myth? | On the Ground

Politicians and pundits in the UK are fuelling a moral panic around “the Muslim vote." Once seen as a reliable base for the Labour Party, the Muslim community’s growing support for independent candidates and the Green Party is now being framed as a threat to democracy. Subscribe to The Guardian on YouTube ► https://www.youtube.com/user/theguardian?sub_confirmation=1 As the country heads towards the local elections, Taj Ali investigates whether a singular “Muslim vote” exists, and examines how these divisive narratives around sectarian politics are shaping public debate and impacting communities across Britain. Sectarianism? Family voting? No, what British Muslims are doing with their votes is called democracy ► https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/apr/28/british-muslims-voting-democracy-labour-potholes-traffic-litter The Guardian publishes independent journalism, made possible by supporters. Contribute to The Guardian today ► https://support.theguardian.com/ Sign up to the Guardian's free new daily newsletter, First Edition ► http://theguardian.com/first-edition Website ► https://www.theguardian.com Facebook ► https://www.facebook.com/theguardian Bluesky ► https://bsky.app/profile/theguardian.com Instagram ► https://www.instagram.com/guardian The Guardian on YouTube: Guardian News ► https://www.youtube.com/@guardiannews Guardian Australia ► https://www.youtube.com/@GuardianAustralia Guardian Football ► https://www.youtube.com/@guardianfootball Football Weekly ► https://www.youtube.com/@FootballWeeklyPodcast Guardian Sport ► https://www.youtube.com/@guardiansport It's Complicated ► https://www.youtube.com/@ItsComplicated Guardian Live ► https://www.youtube.com/@GuardianLive #uk #muslims #politics #islam #islamophobia #localelections