I have just stood in the Staffordshire University Students’ Union election for the post of President, but rather than campaigning on policy I have ended up spending the week fighting a vicious sleaze campaign. Through the entire election campaign this week I have been a victim of systematic abuse including racist and Islamaphobic lies and comments aimed directly at me. Though I did not stand on an Islamic platform, and did not mention my religious beliefs at all in my campaign material and manifesto, my religion has consistently been used by the opposition slate throughout the course of this week. Evidence of this is as follows:

1. Comments made by the opposition to students that I wished to introduce Sharia/Islamic law into the college (due to a racist view of my religious beliefs).
2. Comments made by the opposition to students that I would close the bar (due to a racist view of my religious beliefs).
3. Comments made by the opposition to students that I would close sports societies.
4. Comments made by the opposition to students that I would segregate the union along gender lines (due to a racist view of my religious beliefs).
5. Comments made on Facebook by the opposition campaigners on public profiles included posts calling me a “7/7 bomber” and “Osama Bin Baig” – clear references to my ethnicity and religious beliefs.
6. A racist and derogatory video was produced by a former member of the Steerings committee and union council member in Stafford directed against my slate.

Under the Racial and Religious Hatred Act of 2006, under section 29B, point 1, it is against British law to use a person’s religious views to stir up religious hatred:

“A person who uses threatening words or behaviour, or displays any written material which is threatening, is guilty of an offence if he intends thereby to stir up religious hatred.”

It is my clear opinion that religious and racial hatred has been used as an electoral ploy to smear my campaign. By using a narrow, racist interpretation of my religion they have created a hysteria campaign of lies against myself and my campaign. Why was my religion an issue to them when I have not once mentioned it in any material, or campaigning on campus?

The severity of this complaint demands urgent attention. Racism in all its forms cannot be tolerated, especially in such a diverse community as that at Staffs University.

Our campus is situated in Stoke, a city with nine councilors from the British National Party, a party that threatens the safety (and life) of people such as myself on the basis of my religious beliefs and ethnicity. The fact that such racist behaviour has occurred during a student union election on campus makes me, and other Muslim and ethnic minority students, feel extremely unsafe on campus and if the union does not take action it will be indirectly legitimising such racist behaviour.

These actions have set back all the anti-racist and anti-fascist work I have done over the past three years at Staffordshire University. The Students Union is obliged to provide a safe space for all students but it has clearly not done this during this election campaign. The Student union elections were supposed to be about students and policies but instead I was forced to defend myself from a vicious sleaze campaign, explaining to students that I am not an extremist; that I do not want to ban alcohol, close down the student venue and how I will not implement Islamic law at the university.

Due to the severity of this sleaze campaign I will also be forwarding a copy of this complaint to the Trade Union Congress, National Union of Journalists, NUS Black Students’ campaign, NUS International Students Campaign, NUS NEC, Unite Against Fascism, Love Music Hate Racism and other progressive unions, organisations and activists across the country. A general press release to local, national and student media will also be sent out in due course.

(Assed Baig)

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