Nearly a decade ago, the Mayor of Tower Hamlets was sensationally sacked after being found guilty by the Electoral Tribunal of a series of “corrupt and illegal activities” including vote-rigging, bribery and vote buying.
But perhaps the most intriguing part of the verdict is that it found that Lutfur Rahman had exercised “undue mental influence” to garner votes from the Muslim Bangladeshi community in the east London borough.
Simply put, this means using religion to pressure people to vote a certain way, the first and only successful case of this kind since the 19th century.
The election has once again raised concerns that imams could exert “psychological pressure” on Muslim voters, a form of electoral interference that is illegal under the Electoral Act 2022.
The Sunday Telegraph has obtained recordings of messages circulating in Leicester’s Muslim community in which religious leaders urge voters to support particular candidates.
Religious leaders who support the Liberal Democratic Party
One message told voters that “ulama and masjids” (religious leaders and mosques) in Leicester East were endorsing the Liberal Democrat candidate Zuffar-ul-Haq.
Community members are told it would be “unwise for Muslims not to choose a faithful person who promises never to compromise on Islamic principles.” The message goes on to say that Haq is “a Muslim, God-fearing, understands Islamic values and will always stand up for Palestine.”
The paper noted that the constituency’s former MP, Claudia Webb, who is standing as an independent in the current election, has also “spoken out for Palestine”, but added that “this is not a special favour”.
The message continues: “Any decent person should condemn genocide. As an expelled MP from the Labour Party, it is politically advantageous for her to speak out on the Palestinian issue.”
Webb was elected as a Labour MP in 2019 but has been serving as an independent since 2020 when he was expelled from the party after being convicted of harassing a romantic rival.
Another message being sent out in Leicester East is titled “Why we Muslims should vote for Claudia Webb” and says voting for Labour or the Conservatives is “a vote for genocide”.
There is no suggestion that Mr Webb or Mr Haq were involved in disseminating such messages.
The Telegraph understands that the documents have been passed to Leicestershire Police to investigate whether any laws have been breached.
The problem has been going on for decades
Fiyaz Mughal, an interfaith campaigner who runs the charities Tell Mama and Faith Matters, said the issue of religious leaders pressuring communities to vote for particular candidates has been going on “for decades”.
But he explained that it was “much more widespread in this election”, adding that he had noticed it happening in Luton, around Yorkshire and Lancashire and in east London as well.
“To me, this really crosses the line into undue mental, psychological and social impact,” Mughal said.
“What we’re seeing is a strengthening of a sense of Islamic identity. There’s been a massive increase in activity on WhatsApp, but there’s no way to monitor it. Imagine messages being sent telling people to vote for white candidates. There would be uproar.”
The Spiritual Influence Acts were originally enacted as an attempt to counter the influence of the Roman Catholic Church on the election of clergy, primarily in the southern counties of Ireland.
Barrister Francis Hoare, of Field Court Chambers, who prosecuted Mr Rahman in 2015, said the law had been changed since then to broaden the definition of “spiritual influence”.
“Previous crimes required a voter to be threatened, usually by a clergyman, with adverse consequences in the afterlife if they voted for or did not vote for a particular candidate,” Hoare explained.
“‘Mental pressure’ suggests a lower standard may apply, but this has yet to be tested in court.”
He added that while the definition is now more expansive, judges may be careful about how they interpret it.
