Lutfur Rahman

[[File:Lutfurrahman1.jpg|right|thumb|165px|Lutfur Rahman in 2018.]]
{{UKpolitics}}
'''Muhammad Lutfur Rahman''' {{lived|1965}} is the current mayor of Tower Hamlets in [[London]]; a former member of the [[Labour]] party, he is now a member of Aspire, a local political party he founded together with a number of Tower Hamlets councillors. He is controversial due to his reported links to [[Islamic extremism|Islamic extremist elements]] and issues related to election integrity.

A 2010 episode of Channel 4's ''Dispatches'' series focused on Rahman's ties to the extremist {{wpl|Islamic Forum Europe||,}} which helped him come to power.<ref>http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/andrewgilligan/100039244/islamists-are-crushed-in-tower-hamlets/</ref> While council leader, Rahman hired Lutfur Ali as assistant chief executive; Ali went on to fund various IFE front groups with council grants before resigning, after it turned out that he had been working in another job on council time.<ref>http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/9874695/The-state-versus-the-whistleblower.html</ref> The following July it emerged that Rahman's solicitor, Makbool Javaid, was connected to [[al-Muhajiroun]], a group which supports [[al-Qaeda]]. Javaid also signed a fatwa which demanded "full-scale war of [[jihad]]" against the US and UK.<ref>http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/andrewgilligan/100047498/the-fundamentalist-linked-labour-politician-and-the-extremist-solicitor/</ref>

In September 2010, Rahman was suspended by the Labour party as its mayoral candidate for Tower Hamlets following concerns about his conduct.<ref>http://www.theguardian.com/uk/davehillblog/2010/sep/21/lutfur-rahman-removed-as-labour-tower-hamlets-mayoral-candidate</ref> He instead ran as an independent candidate, and succeeded in being elected mayor in October 2010<ref>http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-11604108</ref>, and was re-elected in 2014. In April 2015, Rahman was removed from office after a court found him guilty of "corrupt and illegal practices", and that he'd gained votes via religious intimidation.<ref>[https://www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/tower-hamlets-verdict-mayor-lutfur-rahman-guilty-corruption-banned-from-standing-in-new-election-10198118.html Tower Hamlets mayor guilty of corruption and election result is declared void] The Standard, April 24, 2015</ref>

In May 2022, following the expiry of his public office ban, Rahman ran again for the mayoralty of Tower Hamlets. He was elected with 54% of the vote. 
His Aspire party faced criticism for fielding only candidates of Bangladeshi heritage during the election. Only three of their candidates were female.<ref>[https://www.eastendenquirer.org/2022/01/lutfurs-aspire-party-rejects-diversity-with-100-bangladeshi-candidate-list/ Lutfur’s Aspire Party Rejects Diversity With 100% Bangladeshi Candidate List] East End Enquirer, January 27, 2022</ref> Following the election, independent observers raised allegations over voter intimidation, family voting and impersonating voters.<ref>[https://www.standard.co.uk/news/politics/tower-hamlets-election-lutfur-rahman-aspire-party-report-intimidating-voting-b1001322.html New questions over voting and ‘intimidating’ crowds in Tower Hamlets election] The Standard, May 20, 2022</ref>

==External links==
* [http://mayorlutfurrahman.wordpress.com/ Rahman's blog]
* [http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/andrewgilligan/100112318/lutfur-rahman-all-his-controversies-in-one-place/ "Lutfur Rahman: All his controversies in one place" by Andrew Gilligan]

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT: Rahman, Lutfur}}
[[Category:British people]]
[[category:British politicians]]
[[Category:Islamic extremism]]
[[Category:Muslims]]
[[Category:Living people]]

Categories: British people, British politicians, Islamic extremism, Muslims, Living people