By PNS News Agency London, Britain
A record of 13 Muslim MPs, up from 8 in 2010, have been elected in one of the most unpredictable and extraordinary general elections in Britain. Eight of the Muslim MPs are women. The election included the first Muslim SNP MP, Tasmina Ahmed Sheikh, elected in the landslide by the nationalist party in Scotland as well as the first female Muslim Conservative MP Nusrat Ghani.
While Labour votes fell away, four Muslim candidates won seats for the first time for the opposition party and added to five who were re-elected. Anas Sarwar in Glasgow was the only sitting Muslim MP not re-elected after falling victim of the sweeping SNP victories.
One of the most surprising was mental health campaigner Naz Shah winning Bradford West back for Labour with a majority of 11,420 against Respect party leader George Galloway who had won the seat in a landslide bi-election in 2012.
On party numbers, Labour has nine Muslim MPs, the Tories three and the SNP one. Despite fielding 24 Muslim candidates all in unwinnable seats, the Lib Dems have yet to have a Muslim MP. Of the total of 13 Muslim MPs, six are women.
List of new Muslim MPs
Tasmina Ahmed Sheikh (SNP, Ochil_and_South_Perthshire)
Rupa Huq (Labour, Ealing Central and Acton)
Tulip Rizwana Siddiq (Labour, Hampstead and Kilburn)
Nusrat Ghani (Conservatives, Wealden)
Naz Shah (Labour, Bradford West)
Imran Hussein (Labour, Bradford East)
Incumbent Muslim MPs
Khalid Mahmood (Labour Party)
Shabana Mahmood (Labour Party)
Rushanara Ali (Labour Party)
Yasmin Qureshi (Labour Party)
Sadiq Khan (Labour Party)
Rehman Chisti (Conservative Party)
Sajid Javid (Conservative Party)
(Courtesy- Muslim News)