Can a lone 24 year old Palestinian take on the Labour Party?

That’s what Leanne Mohamad is determined to do, campaigning as an independent candidate in the safe Labour seat of Ilford North at the upcoming general elections.

It’s no small feat - she’s up against Wes Streeting, a senior party heavyweight and a man tapped by many as Keir Starmer’s successor. So how can she take him on?

Mohamad’s no stranger to taking on the odds. When she was 15, a high school speech she gave on Palestinian rights went viral, unleashing a wave of angry and hateful reactions that prompted her school to take the video down.

But the counterwave of support she received propelled her to become one of the most prominent activists speaking up for Gaza today - and the face of a grassroots political campaign to punish Labour for their support of Israel’s military actions.

This week on The Big Picture Podcast, we sit down with activist and political candidate Leanne Mohamad to talk about her Palestinian identity and how it’s shaped who she is today, and why she wants to be a new voice in parliament.

If she wins, it could prove that public anger over foreign policy can change politics, and more significantly, that the British Muslim voice is ready to be taken seriously.

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We'd love to hear your thoughts on this episode, and any guests you'd like us to have on our show. Reach us by email at mh@middleeasteye.org or find us on instagram @BigPictureMee.

You can also watch all our episodes on our YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMyaP73Ho1ySj3cO0OSOHZAOgD1WTDixG

SBJ Morning Buzzcast: December 11, 2023