The Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) is studying Zohran Mamdani's successful grassroots campaign to become New York's first Muslim mayor, aiming to replicate his model in the UK. MCB secretary general Dr Wajid Akhter said his team spent time with Mamdani's campaign to understand its 'secret sauce', highlighting the balance between digital and traditional campaigning.
Akhter, a GP, praised how Mamdani linked issues such as Gaza to local concerns like rent. 'If you just do one side, you’re just another influencer. If you just have a ground campaign, it doesn’t penetrate the masses,' he said. The MCB has launched 'Hungry for Change', an initiative to register Muslim voters and encourage civic action, recruiting 200 voter champions across more than 30 areas.
The campaign marks a strategic shift for the MCB, which has faced government disengagement since 2009 over the Istanbul declaration. Despite Labour's engagement in opposition, the party has continued non-engagement in government. Akhter said the MCB is refocusing away from seeking government approval towards improving lives of British Muslims, reimagining mosques as community hubs offering mental health and CPR training.
He also called for redirecting charitable 'zakat' towards domestic issues like knife crime and housing, rather than overwhelmingly overseas. 'I take inspiration from black churches during the civil rights movement,' Akhter said, adding that the MCB hopes to expand its model nationwide by the next general election while remaining non-partisan.
